Students for Justice Page 1 of 5

Jorge Rodriguez
Eraldo Romero

Logan Sierra

Eric Zidek

Killingsworth

Gov 2306

2/10/17

Bright, Stephen B. "Elected Judges And The Death Penalty In Texas: Why Full Habeas Corpus

Review By Independent Federal Judges Is Indispensable To Protecting Constitutional

Rights." Texas Law Review 78.7

(2000): 1805. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

This source is a journal from EBSCOhost on the TCC library database. The journal

discusses the capital punishment here in Texas and how the judges that account for the

capital punishments. It says how some elected judges provide insufficient lawyers to the

more poor criminals and most of the time they dont end up winning and end up dying

without good representation. This source is credible because of the location of the

journal. It is located in the TCC library database which are only credible sources. Also

the author of this journal is someone who has practiced law since 1975. He has seen a lot

of changes throughout his time. He studied law at Yale University. He is also president
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and senior counsel at the Southern Center for Human Rights, a human rights organization

that deals with human rights in the criminal justice and prison systems.

Cromie, Jenny, and Lynn M. Zott. The Death Penalty . Detroit, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2013.

Print.

This book is published as an unbiased look into the many opposing opinions over the

topic of the death penalty and its effects on society. This source is by an educational

publication Greenhaven Press and is part of the ongoing Opposing Viewpoints Series that

encourages critical thinking and the understanding of the many opinions of the topic. This

book is edited by both Jenny Cromie, a professional book proofreader and writer, and

Lynn M. Zott, an editor and proofreader. The purpose of using this source it to get an

unbiased view of the current opinions and oppositions of the death penalty by an

educational standpoint to develop our own opinions.

Dutton, Harold, Jr. "85(R) HB 64 - Introduced version - Bill Text." 85(R) HB 64

Introduced version - Bill Text. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2017.

This source is the House Bill 64 of the 85th Texas Legislature, which was written by

Representative Harold Dutton Jr. of Houston. House Bill 64 calls for the abolishment of

the death penalty and provides an outlook to where the justice system will head. Mr.

Harold Dutton had a JD from Thurgood Marshall School of Law and has been a Texas

Representative since 1984. This source will further develop our stance on the issue and a

better understanding of the outcome if this bill is passed.

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Gerber, Rudolph J., and John M. Johnson. The top ten death penalty myths: the politics of crime

control. Westport, CT, Praeger, 2007.

This book explores 10 myths about the death penalty and evaluates the realities of not

only the punishment but larger parts of the justice system. The book is divided into ten

sections, each tackling one misconception the public may hold the regarding the

punishment; among these, the myth of racially neutral justice, the myth of humane

execution, even the myth of its effectiveness. The sources delves deep within many of the

dimensions of the death penalty and dispels all these misconceptions. This gives the

author the option to form their own opinions regarding the content of the book. The book

is a reliable academic source as it was written by Rudolph J. Gerber and John M.

Johnson, two prolific authorities on law. Gerber practices private law and teaches at

Arizona State University, formerly served as a judge in Arizona and has authored other

books on the subject of law. The co-author, John M. Johnson is a law professor at the

school of Justice and Social Inquiry at Arizona State University and has taught there

since 1972. This source will be useful in establishing where our group stands on the

subject of the death penalty. Looking at the facts regarding the effectiveness of the

punishment and its many other dimensions will serve greatly to grant us depth and insight

into what is best in regards to the fate of this Punishment.

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John Lamperti. Does Capital Punishment Deter Murder? Does Capital Punishment Deter

Murder, Mar. 2010,

math.dartmouth.edu/~lamperti/my%20DP%20paper,%20current%20edit.htm.

This Journal takes a look at the mathematic evidence on whether the Death penalty

actually deters Murder. The author analyses Statistical evidence and whether or not this

evidence supports the effectiveness of the death penalty. The investigation finds that

there is no evidence supporting the deterrence factor of the punishment. The author

further explores this and discovers that there is not a difference in rate of murder when

comparing states with and without the death penalty. Some of the research actually shows

that the death penalty has caused murders, claiming that the punishment has adverse

effects. The author, John Lamperti is a professor of Mathematics at Dartmouth College.

As such, he is an authority on mathematical analysis and possesses the necessary

credentials to take a mathematical approach into this social and judicial system. We will

use this source to further establish a stance in regards to the death penalty and its

effectiveness. We will use it when championing the cause of abolishment, where it will be

very useful as concrete, statisticalevidence.

Sorensen, Jonathan R., and Rocky LeAnn Pilgrim. Lethal injection: capital punishment in Texas
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during the modern era. Austin, TX: U of Texas Press, 2006. Print.

This source is authored by two extremely experienced criminal justice professors. Lethal

Injection will summarize our most influential questions. The questions include, does

capital punishment prevent others from committing murder? Does it keep murders from

killing again? Do the criminals truly deserve to die based off their unjustifiable acts? And

lastly, is the death penalty carried out as directed by state and federal law? Lethal

Injection is a great source for our research paper because it was written by Jon Sorenson

and Rochy Leann Pilgrim. Jon Sorenson is professor of justice at Prairie View A&M

University. Sorenson has authored numerous criminal justice books including; the rope,

the chair, and the needle: Capital Punishment in Texas. Rochy Leann Pilgrim is an

attorney who also teaches courses in criminal justice. Both authors have substantial

experience in the criminal justice field in Texas. The purpose of using this source will be

to gain an educational inside approach to validate our opinions on capital punishment.

Both authors will assist in our judgment to answer many important questions about

capital punishment and the good it provide to the citizens of Texas.