1 powerpoint, 1 revision on assignment, 2 discussion questions, 4 student response

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Renee Casandra Bridgeman

CJ526 Academic and Professional Communication in Public Safety

Unit 1 Assignment

May 11, 2021

Commented [DW1]: APA: The title page is incorrectly formatted. See Section 2.3 and Figure 2.2 (Sample Student Title Page) in the APA Manual.

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Death Penalty

In the U.S,United States individual states have their laws concerning the death penalty for

violation of state laws. Reports indicate that the death penalty was first exercised in the U.S in

1608. Some of the prominent people who have been executed in the U.S. since the death penalty

was exercised include Captain George Kendall, Thomas Bird, Mary Surratt, Julius, and Ethel

Rosenberg. From the onset of the death penalty as capital punishment, there has been a heated

debate on the laws regarding the death penalty and how offenders accused of capital crimes,

murder, or treason are handled in courts in the U.S. Some sources have argued in support of the

current death penalty laws, while some have recommended adjustments to the laws. In the

United States, the death penalty has been in existence since the 1970s (Broughton, 2017).

Reports show that over 8500 people have been executed in the U.S for criminals such as treason,

murder, rape, and robbery with violence since the 1970s. Capital punishment is considered legal

punishment to alleviate first-degree murder in the United States. However, there are arguments

that there is not enough evidence to guarantee murder as a form of punishment. This paper will

present arguments on the need to abolish the death penalty in the United States. Some of the

arguments that will form the basis of this discussion include causes of death sentence to families,

the equitability of the process, and the validity and credibility of evidence used to convict the

offenders.

According to Broughton (2017), the death penalty should be abolished because it causes

families' trauma. He further argues that capital punishment causes trauma, stigma, and grief in

convicted individuals' families. Broughton (2017) argues that “When an individual enters the

death row, family members undergo extensive trauma, stigma, and grief." The survey conducted

by Garrett, Jakubow & Desai (2017) on 50 families of offenders convicted of the death penalty

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Commented [DW2]: APA The title of the paper is: 1: Bold 2: Centered 3: Title Case. The title of the paper is a de facto level 1 heading. Subsequent headings within the introduction should be level 2-5 headings. The heading for the next and subsequent sections should be a level 1 heading. See Sections 2.27 and 2.4 and Figure 2.5 (Student Paper) in the APA Manual.

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Commented [DW4]: This execution occurred in the British Colonies. The United States did not exist until 1776.

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to determine challenges they face found that 30 families undergo traumatic situations, ten

families suffer from stigma, and 25 suffer from grief. According to the survey, the death penalty

has adverse effects on families, and it should be abolished to protect families from these

sufferings. The reports tabled by the American Psychiatric Association showed that families of

individuals convicted of a death sentence are more associated with mental illnesses. The report

showed that five percent of mental illnesses recorded in the U.S are from families of individuals

on a death sentence. Based on these arguments, there has been a move to abolish the death

sentence because it subjects families to trauma, stigma, and grief.

There are claims that the death sentence is administered unequally. The Garrett, Jakubow

& Desa (2017) report shows that the death sentence targets minority groups. Racial profiling

makes the Blacks experience unequal administration of death sentences in terms of the

magnitude of the trials they are taken to determine the cases. Desai & Garrett (2018) reported a

study that concluded that “black defendants convicted of killing white victims were executed at a

rate 20 times greater than white defendants convicted of killing Black victims.” This allegation

aligns with the findings of Desai & and Garrett (2018), which shows that Blacks accused of

killing whites through stand-your-ground principles are 82 times more likely to be convicted

than whites who are charged with killing Blacks for self-defence principles. The stand-your-

ground law has been severally reported to favour whites over blacks, which leads to blacks' high

conviction with a death sentence than whites. The unfair administration of the death sentence is

an indication that the death penalty should be abolished.

The analysis of race and the death penalty shows that the death penalty promotes racism.

Garrett (2017) indicated that most cases involving the death penalty have a pattern of either race

of victim or race of the defendant. Garrett, (2017) has shown that judges are biased when

Commented [DW5]: APA: For a work with three or more authors, include the name only of the first author plus “et al.” in every citation. See Section 8.17 and Table 8.1 in the APA Manual.

Commented [DW6]: APA: The citation is not properly formatted. See Chapter 8 in the APA Manual.

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administering death penalty sentencing. According to Garrett (2017), the death penalty should be

abolished because criminal justice does not administer justice equally. The death penalty

promotes racial discrimination; hence it should be abolished because it is not administered

equally.

Garrett (2017) argues that minority groups are side-lined in the ruling on the death penalty

regardless of the evidence they present. Garrett (2017) has shown that over 80 percent of people

on death row were convicted in cases involving white victims. Based on these allegations, there

has been a move to criticize the death penalty for overlooking evidence.

Garrett (2017) argues argued that prosecutors determine the cases that end up getting death

sentencing regardless of the evidence's magnitude. Some allegations have been rooted in the fact

that influential people are protected from the death sentence. The move to criticize death

sentencing is based on the unfair administration of the process on race.

The opponents have argued that the death penalty has reduced crime in the U.S since there

are over 2500 prisoners who are currently facing execution. The level of capital offenses,

including murder, robbery with violence, rape, and treason, has greatly declined in the United

States. The death penalty in the USA United States found that crime has greatly declined in

hotspot areas due to the fear of the death penalty for capital offenses. These allegations have

shown that a reduced number of criminals have led to fewer offenses in society, making society

safe.

According to Amnesty International, the death penalty plays a minor role in deterring

criminals because it increases the probability of crime in society since its aim is not to restore or

rehabilitate offenders.

Commented [DW7]: APA: Past Tense: Discuss the findings from prior research studies in the past tense, since the studies have already taken place and been completed. See Section 4.12 of the APA Manual.

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Commented [DW8]: APA: Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5”. See section 2.24 of the APA Manual.

Commented [DW9]: This source is peer-reviewed and counts toward the peer-reviewed requirement in the assignment.

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The ideas presented in this paper, including the effect of the death penalty on families,

unfair administration, and lack of emphasis on the presented evidence, show that the death

penalty should be abandoned. The death penalty promotes racism and mental illnesses to

defendants and plaintiffs; therefore, it should be abolished. Besides, it undermines democracy by

promoting racial discrimination. The death penalty has not achieved the desired outcome of

deterring crime; hence it should be abolished.

Commented [DW10]: APA: The required APA Headings are missing from your paper. You should use at least level one APA Headings. See Section 2.27 in the APA Manual.

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References

Broughton, J. R. (2017). The Federal Death Penalty, Trumpism, and Civil Rights

Enforcement. Am. UL Rev., 67, 1611.

Desai, A., & Garrett, B. L. (2018). The State of the Death Penalty. Notre Dame L. Rev., 94,

1255.

Garrett, B. (2017). End of its rope: How killing the death penalty can revive criminal justice.

Harvard University Press.

Garrett, B. L., Jakubow, A., & Desai, A. (2017). The American death penalty decline. The

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology (1973-), 107(4), 561-642.

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Commented [DW11]: APA: Capitalize only the first word of the title, subtitle, and proper nouns in books and journal article titles. Capitalize the title of the periodical using title case. See Chapters 9 (9.25-Periodical Sources) and 10 of the APA Manual. Commented [DW12]: This source is peer-reviewed and counts toward the peer-reviewed requirement in the assignment.

Commented [DW13]: This source is peer-reviewed and counts toward the peer-reviewed requirement in the assignment. The number of scholarly peer reviewed journal articles used in support of your paper did not meet the requirements as specified in the assignment. Recall from the instructions, that it is necessary to summarize findings from prior "research studies," which are typically published in peer-reviewed academic journals. To locate articles in peer-reviewed journals, go to the University Library, check the "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals" and "Full Text" options, select the time period of 2016-2021. Two of 3 required

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No Progress Introductory Emergent Practiced Proficient Mastery Grading Score Relative Weight Points 0 1 2 3 4 5

Choose topic.

Student work demonstrates no understanding or progress towards achievement of this outcome.

Student chose a topic for their Draft Informative Essay that was not on the essay matrix.

Left blank intentionally. Left blank intentionally. Left blank intentionally. Student chose a topic from the essay matrix for their Draft Informative Essay.

5 10% 5

Research.

Student work demonstrates no understanding or progress towards achievement of this outcome.

Student work demonstrates no understanding or progress towards achievement of this outcome.

Student used sources that were not peer-reviewed.

Student used peer-reviewed sources but did not properly cite/reference the sources.

Student used one to two peer- reviewed sources and properly cited/referenced the sources.

Student used three peer- reviewed sources and properly cited/referenced the sources.

4 10% 4.25

Draft essay.

Student work demonstrates no understanding or progress towards achievement of this outcome.

Student attempted to draft an essay, but was unsuccessful.

Student drafted one to two of the following components for an essay. ● Introduction ● Body paragraph one ● Body section two ● Body section three ● Conclusion.

Student drafted three of the following components for an essay. ● Introduction ● Body paragraph one ● Body section two ● Body section three ● Conclusion.

Student drafted four of the following components for an essay. ● Introduction ● Body paragraph one ● Body section two ● Body section three ● Conclusion.

Student drafted all of the following components for an essay. ● Introduction ● Body paragraph one ● Body section two ● Body section three ● Conclusion.

5 40% 20

Formatting/ Layout The project was not submitted.

The project was submitted, but the formatting (e.g., spacing, margins, font size, etc.) contains errors that are excessive and distracting. The title page and reference page are missing.

The project demonstrates an attempt to adhere to the formatting guidelines as outlined in the instructions (e.g., spacing, margins, font size, etc.)--errors are frequent. The title page and/or reference page may be missing, incomplete, or contain some formatting errors.

The project demonstrates an attempt to adhere to the formatting guidelines as outlined in the instructions (e.g., spacing, margins, font size, etc.)- -errors are not egregious. The title page or reference page are included but may contain formatting errors.

The project adheres to the formatting guidelines as outlined in the instructions (e.g., spacing, margins, font size, etc.) with minimal errors. The title page and reference page (listing all sources used) are included but may contain minor or negligible formatting errors.

The project adheres to the formatting guidelines as outlined in the instructions (e.g., spacing, margins, font size, etc.). The title page and reference page (listing all sources used) are included and conform to course/ assignment guidelines.

4 10% 4.25

Source Attribution

No attempt was made to distinguish between ideas from sources and those of the author. Paper may be plagiarized. Reference list does not match text citations.

Ideas from sources are not clearly distinguishable from those of the author. The following are infrequent or non-existent: Signal phrases, inclusion of URLs, author names, publication titles, in-text citations, and/or (when appropriate) quotation marks. Reference list does not match text citations.

Ideas from sources are usually distinguishable from those of the author by the use of any of the following: Signal phrases, inclusion of URLs, author names, publication titles, and/or in- text citations. Quotation marks are rarely used when appropriate. Reference list matches 50% of the text citations.

Ideas from sources are generally distinguishable from those of the author by the use of two or more of the following: Signal phrases, inclusion of URLs, author names, publication titles, and/or in-text citations. Quotation marks are sometimes used when appropriate.

Ideas from sources are usually distinguishable from those of the author by the use of two or more of the following: Signal phrases, inclusion of URLs, author names, publication titles, and/or in-text citations. Quotation marks are used when appropriate. Reference list matches text citations.

Ideas from sources are clearly distinguishable from those of the author by the frequent use of in-text citations. Quotation marks are always used when appropriate. Reference list matches text citations.

5 10% 5

Mechanics

Student work demonstrates no understanding or progress towards achievement of this outcome.

Grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors pervasive and distracting.

Grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors significant and distracting.

Frequent grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors.

Minor grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors.

Technically flawless, mechanically and grammatically compliant with APA guidelines.

4 10% 4.25

Organization

Student work demonstrates no understanding or progress towards achievement of this outcome.

Organization and structure detract from the analysis. Analysis is disjointed and lacks transition of thought.

Organization and structure are not easy to follow and interfere with meaning. Paragraph and sentence transitions need significant improvement.

Organization and structure developing but still some illogic in flow. Transition of thoughts needs some improvement.

Organization and structure are clear but presentation could be more precise. Minor flaw(s) in flow of analysis.

Organization and structure of the paper are clear and easy to follow. Logical flow of ideas.

5 10% 5

Language

Student work demonstrates no understanding or progress towards achievement of this outcome.

Language inappropriate, mundane, and unfocused. No central theme or thesis present. Not written for the appropriate audience.

Random, choppy, and/or awkward language significantly detracts from analysis. Not written for the appropriate audience.

Language ordinary, imprecise, and/or lacks interest or precision. Central theme or thesis present but not explicitly presented. Written for the appropriate audience.

Language functional, appropriate, and acceptable. Written for the appropriate audience.

Variety of sentence length and structure. Language rich, precise, and vivid. Central theme or thesis clear. Written for the appropriate audience.

5 10.0% 5

100%

Overall Grading Score: 47.75