AN IN DEPTH STUDY OF AN IN DEATH EXPERIENCE

There are few topics likely to stir as much protest both for and against them as the does the death penalty and the way it is enforced in our society today. This web quest asks you, as students of law, to examine your beliefs about the death penalty; to challenge your beliefs about the death penalty; to examine the beliefs of others about the death penalty; and to defend your beliefs about the death penalty.

There are four separate parts to this web quest. You must complete all four parts.

There are two ways to look at this picture. One is to see an abstract painting of a face. The other is to see the scales of justice. So too are there two ways to see the death penalty. Part one of your task involves just that.

We can easily look at the death penalty as constitutional or unconstitutional according to the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. Use the Compulegal method, which we have used in class to assess Gregg v. Georgia. http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/gregg.html

Do you believe that the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment? Write a letter to your local newspaper stating your opinion and the basis for it.

A second way to look at the death penalty is whether you believe it is just plain right or wrong. This is influenced by our culture and family values, very often including religious beliefs.

State your belief on this issue and then find two websites to support your beliefs. With the listing of each website, explain how the information available on that website supports your belief.

In order to find out what other people believe, create a survey on Opinionpower.com

Click on multiple questions and Email. Use several responses for each of the ten questions with the following answers:

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Use the following example to guide you:

Mr. Bruckner is the best teacher in the world

I want an A

Agree

Disagree

I want to fail

When you are done with your survey, we will all take your survey in class. You will be developing a power point presentation to show the results of your survey.

There are currently five methods of execution in the United States. Hanging, Firing Squad, Gas Chamber, Electrocution and Lethal Injection are all methods used to execute prisoners. Put these in order from least cruel and unusual to most cruel and unusual. For each of these, decide whether the method is cruel and unusual punishment. Include descriptions from websites accounts of the past use of these methods.

Finally, when we first discussed this topic in class, most of you stated that the death penalty was unfair because it was used more often against minorities. Research your this concept on the Internet and use the facts that you find to defend your position, or change it if necessary.