Capital+Punishment+and+Justice

Objectives:

 * identify arguments for and against capital punishment
 * identify and describe the purpose of capital punishment
 * explain why capital punishment should or should not be banned

Do Now:
Based on what you currently know at this moment about capital punishment (the death penalty), are you in support or do you oppose the use of capital punishment? Why or why not?

Lesson:
Part 1. Using the following resources on capital punishment, you will identify the arguments presented in favor of and against the death penalty in the chart below.

Pro-Death Penalty Chart
 * Source || What arguments are presented in favor of capital punishment? || What values or beliefs guide these arguments? What evidence is used to support the arguments? || Do you find these arguments persuasive? Why or why not? ||

Anti-Death Penalty Chart


 * Source || What arguments are presented against capital punishment? || What values or beliefs guide these arguments? What evidence is used to support the arguments? || Do you find these arguments persuasive? Why or why not? ||


 * Pro-Death Penalty Resources**

1. Prodeathpenalty.com is a resource for pro-death penalty information and resources. Includes case information on upcoming executions, a collection of death penalty links, and current news stories. www.prodeathpenalty.com

2. Arguments for the Death Penalty is a video interview with Mike Bradbury, Former Ventura County DA Mike Bradbury interview


 * Anti-Death Penalty Resources**

1. The American Civil Liberties Union states its position here in //The Case Against the Death Penalty// ACLU

2. The American Bar Association’s Death Penalty Moratorium Implementation Project, established in 2001, serves as the ABA’s voice and resource in pursuit of a nationwide moratorium “unless and until problems within the administration of capital punishment are rectified.” American Bar Association

3. Fighting Capital Punishment. CBS News, on January 6, 2007, presents a case in which parents of a murdered child fight capital punishment. (2-minute video) CBS news video

4. “The Death Penalty Resource Guide.” Amnesty International USA Human Rights Education Program. Amnesty International

Part 2. **Evaluate**
 * Think back to the five purposes of sentencing we discussed yesterday. What purposes does capital punishment serve?
 * Do you think capital punishment should be banned? List reasons why you think it should or should not from what you learned today.

Homework:
Research a recent case where capital punishment (the death penalty) was used.
 * What was the case about? (Background info)
 * How was the case portrayed in the media?
 * Did the article/website you found strengthen the arguments for or against the use of the death penalty?

__Day 2__
Lesson:

Write an Op Ed (Opinion editorial) piece based on capital punishment. Explain how you feel about the death penalty and explain why states should review capital punishment in order to get rid of the death penalty as a sentence OR why states should add capital punishment to the punishments they already use.

Use what you learned about yesterday, the notes you took, and the case you researched for homework all as evidence for your op ed. In your op ed, you can do the following:
 * Use short, simple sentences.
 * Avoid jargon.
 * Explicitly support or oppose something.
 * Personalize the op-ed with an anecdote ( a personal story)
 * Link the op-ed to a current news story but keep the focus local.
 * Follow the particular paper's guidelines for submission closely.

Try the following outline for your op-ed:
 * 1) Start with a personal anecdote.
 * 2) Make your main point in the first or second paragraph.
 * 3) Begin to elaborate two, maximum three, supporting points in the following paragraphs. Make sure your paragraphs are short and contain one main idea.
 * 4) Use facts, statistics and studies to support your arguments. Do not, however, be overly legal. Use metaphors (sports, movies and music work best) to relate complex ideas.
 * 5) Conclude with a paragraph that draws the piece together and links to your opening anecdote.