The Death Penalty and Deterrence
Assignment #3-2 Reflection Essay “Death Penalty”
READ the following articles and watch the video:
- https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/
facts-and-research/murder- rates/murder-rate-of-death- penalty-states-compared-to- non-death-penalty-states - https://www.pewresearch.org/
fact-tank/2018/08/02/5-facts- about-the-death-penalty/ - This TedTalk video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=FJxUN-kNXNs
Think about the the observations in Chapter 13, and make sure to focus on the short “The Death Penalty and Deterrence“ discussion on page 349. (The textbook author’s observation that current data does not show a link between the death penalty and reducing violent crime is consistent with other mainline research on the topic). Look also at the discussion of Innocence Projects in that same page of the textbook.
Think about that data, and then review and think about articles above. Finally, watch the video of the talk by a juror involved in a death penalty case and her reflections on the issue.
In your essay, reflect on
- Why you think community views on the death penalty conflict, even when the data about non-deterrence is relatively clear and one’s personal opinion on the death penalty can radically change once it becomes “personal” rather than an abstract concept.
- Has your opinion changed over time? Have the readings and video caused you to view the topic in any different way? What, if anything, have you discoverd about this topic from our study?
- What about the earlier topics of effective legal representation for poorer defendants, differences in race and death penalty, the role of religious leaders on the topic, and how community, culture, and upbringing caused the woman in the video to have a crisis when she actually had to participate in taking a life when before her jury service the topic seemed relatively straightforward? Thoughts ?
Your essay should be at least 2 double spaced pages and submitted through Blackboard here. It is worth 50 points and due byend of day October 9th. Because it is a reflection essay, no formal APA citation is required.
Requirements: 2 pages
Answer preview
When analyzing the death penalty, one should also focus on topics such as the lack of adequate representation for poor defendants, as well as the link between race and the death penalty. The death penalty is not applied in racially neutral ways, considering African Americans are more likely than their white counterparts to receive the death penalty (Gramlich, 2021). This phenomenon can be attributed to underlying racial biases and prejudices against people of color, which make jurors more inclined to give death sentences to defendants of color. Lack of financial resources can also increase the likelihood of the defendant receiving the death penalty. This is because such defendants cannot afford high-quality lawyers, leaving them at the mercy of overworked public defendants. Due to this, many poor defendants, who would have otherwise avoided the death penalty, end up receiving it. One’s environment, such as culture, Community, and upbringing, impacts their perceptions of whether the death penalty is justified.
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The Death Penalty and Deterrence
