When first given this project the topic that I decided to research was the death penalty. This topic will direct my research project because it is a recent and controversial topic. After finding sources, I articulated a research question  --  how affective is the death penalty? I want to address this problem because I'm curious as to whether or not punishing people like this actually helps keep crime rates down. I will look at different statistics, such as crime rates in states/countries that implement the death penalty versus ones that don't, victims/families of victims who faced the death penalty, and the support of the public. My general thesis is that the death penalty is not an effective form of punishment.

My personal context with the death penalty is mainly that I find it interesting and am curious about it. For one, I know it is known to go against many people's personal beliefs It's also a topic that receives a lot of attention. Many aspects of the death penalty are considered immoral and wrong and while a lot of states have outlawed it there are a handful that have not. I'm curious as to why those decisions were made for one side versus the other. Also, I'm currently taking a criminal justice class and the topic of the law has always interested me because my mom and older sister are both lawyers. It intrigues me how killing another person is illegal but the death penalty which is basically same thing is allowed. I have no personal experience regarding this research question, since no one I know has been sentenced to the death penalty. But, all of these aspects together are what intrigue me. I'm qualified to write about this because of my interest in the topic and because one day I may go into a career with law just like my family. 

In my first source "Is There a Biblical Basis for Capital Punishment" the major claim is that the law wrongly uses the bible to support the death penalty, and that according to the bible the death penalty is not moral. The author Anne B. Gardiner uses major evidence throughout her article to support this claim. She analyzes quotes from an Archbishop, bible verses, and an article with an opposing viewpoint titled "The Biblical Truth About America's Death Penalty". She also compares and contrasts court cases from ancient times to modern times in which the death penalty was used. A major value or interest at stake in this article is definitely religion because Gardiner makes her religious views clear. Also, she is very interested in the opinion of people who advocate for the death penalty and wants to sway their view. This source is credible because the author was an English professor at John Jay College of the City University of New York. She also was published in a journal, the New Oxford Review. This leads to bias because this journal is a magazine of Roman Catholic cultural and theological commentary. So her religious views are a source of bias throughout the entire article as for why she is against the death penalty.

My second source, "The Changing Nature of the Death Penalty", makes the major claim that Americans' view on the death penalty is gradually changing and society is moving towards eventual abolition of capital punishment. The major evidence that the article uses is statistics. There are polls about support for the death penalty from different time periods in various states. When comparing the results, there is a clear decline in support over time. What it is that accounts for these patterns of change are a large point of focus throughout the article. The authors are interested in why the arguments for the death penalty change over time. Public opinion is at stake as well. There are two authors for this source, Michael L. Radelet and Marian J. Borg. They have credibility because they both worked in the sociology department at the University of Florida and had this article published in an annual review of sociology, which shows knowledge of the subject. They may be biased because they are against the death penalty, which is why they are writing that the public support is turning against it. 

Lastly, I found a new source called "Why Do Countries Choose the Death Penalty?". The major claim made by this source is that the attitude regarding the death penalty has become increasingly critical over the past few decades, not just in America, but in many other countries too. This article uses studies that were conducted by researches as evidence to show the death penalty usage at different points in time. We are even provided with tables of the results. Major values and interests that are at stake in this article are individual countries' values. Some countries believe highly in the effectiveness and use of the death penalty. The article talks about the relationship between this and the power of nations. Therefore, the countries' beliefs are at stake. The author, Carsten Anckar, is a professor of political science at a University in Finland and published this article very recently in the Brown Journal of World Affairs, which gives him credibility to write about this topic. He could have bias because the attitude regarding the death penalty may be changing in Finland specifically and he is applying that to other countries as well.

The death penalty's general purpose is to help keep crime rates down. My research question "How effective is the death penalty?" is arguable because people can argue that it does not achieve that purpose. They can argue that the death penalty is highly effective or that it is not effective at doing its job. Some agreements that I've found within my sources are that support for the death penalty has been decreasing over the past few years. My sources did not have disagreements between each other, but they do bring up different points. While one source addressed the death penalty and the issue of religion, another addressed the death penalty in other countries. The relationship between my sources is very important because if they can come to a point of stasis or agreement, then it's possible that the problem can be resolved or a conclusion can be reached. The different perspectives of my sources affect my view because more elements come into play. This makes me think that I may need to adjust my research question and make it a bit narrower. I now have a lot of new knowledge and bias stimulating my opinion and making me think more about where I want the direction of my project to go.

 

 
