The Death Penalty-Lots of Information

Now that you've looked at an individual case study and explored the law, it's time to examine the current status of the death penalty and how it operates. Please follow the steps below and blog your responses to the questions. Your responses can be separate paragraphs or one larger integrated piece. Make sure you are specific and detailed in your responses.  This can count as your post for the week.

• Read about the STAGES in a death penalty case. Be sure you understand all of the different steps inolved.  If the full text is not showing up in the interactive interface, click on the "Print" button to read the text without the graphics.
• RESPOND-What aspects of the stages in a capital case are designed to protect the rights of the accused? Do you believe that this system is sufficient to guarantee that only the guilty are convicted?
• Read about the different METHODS of execution.
• RESPOND-Which of these (if any) are the most humane? Should any be considered “cruel and unusual” according to the 8th Amendment? If so which? Why?
• Explore the state by state data found here. Click on each of the interactive maps to explore (Note: This data is updated as of 4/25/12).  Questions to consider as you explore include: Which states have the most inmates on Death Row? Which states have no death penalty? Which state has the most inmates on death row? Are there more blacks or whites on death row? Which state has the most women on death row? Are more men or women on death row? Why aren’t there any statistics for juveniles on death row? Which states currently do not have a life without parole option? What is the most commonly used method of execution in those states that have the death penalty? Which state has committed the most executions as of 4/25/12? Which state has committed the second most executions as of 4/25/12? Are there differences in number of executions by ethnicity? What method of execution is most common?
• RESPOND-What sorts of conclusions can you draw from this data? What does the state by state data tell us about how the death penalty is used? What regional or other trends do you see? What might this data tell us about issues of equality, arbitrariness,and justice?
• Click on this document to read the former Illinois Capital Murder statute. RESPOND-How many aggravating factors are listed that might have led to the death penalty?  What do you think of them? ? Should the crimes listed have death as a potential punishment? Why or why not? Go to the state by state data and click on Illinois to see more about the current status of the death penalty in Illinois. Does the data tell you anything about why the Illinois death penalty is no longer in effect? If not, make an inference.
• Take a look at the updated CHARTS put out by the death penalty information center.  This is current as of 10/23/2013.  Make some conclusions based on this information.
• RESPOND-How does the information here influence your previous responses? What does this data say about the economics of the death penalty? What does the data say about the influence of race on the death penalty? What does the data say about public opinion for the death penalty? What does the data say about innocence?  About deterrence?  Looking at the information overall, what point of view would you say that the Death Penalty Information center has? Is it convincing? Why or why not? What additional information would you like?
• BONUS-For Dexter fans. Read the blogs posted here and here. RESPOND: If Dexter was caught, should he receive the death penalty? Why or why not? 

Debt Ceiling Explained

Here are a few articles that try to explain the crisis, they each have some sort of political bias but each does a nice job of trying to explain it simply.
Kahn Academy
Mother Jones
ABC News
BBC Video
Debt Ceiling Explained YouTube Video
Rolling Stone
The Atlantic

Instructions for Class on 10/9

Greetings Issues Scholars,
Apologies for my absence today.  As a result, here are the tasks for you to accomplish:

• Finish, prep, and practice your speech for the town hall meeting.  This will take place on Thursday (Per. 8) and Fri (Per. 3).
• Do your blog post for this week.  An open post.  Potential topics may include the government shutdown and debt ceiling debate.  Make sure you read or look at some sources prior to posting.  Sources may include newspapers (Chicago Tribune, NY Times, Wall St. Journal), blogs (Huffington Post, Salon, The Atlantic), or tv (Daily Show?).
• Comment on at least two other blogs from your colleagues in class.  Go to blogs that you haven't gone to yet.
• Begin reading your outside reading book quietly.

See you next class.

Drug Testing Comes to Deerfield?

ANNOUNCEMENT

The Board of Education of the Township High School District #113 hereby invites all interested parties to air their views on the new drug testing policy (*See below) at a town hall meeting to take place between )October 8-10.

•  Each speaker will be limited to two minutes and is expected to have a firm grasp of the issues. 
•  Each speaker is required to demonstrate their understanding of the issues by using facts and argument from sources given (Links under the policy below) as well as prior Supreme Court precedent (the Acton and Earls cases).
• Each speaker should be prepared to answer questions from the school board.
• Each speaker will be assessed on their ability to convey their ideas, tone, speaking style, and their use of facts and details.
• OPTIONAL-If a speaker has a better policy or plan to accomplish the objectives set out below, he/she may present it. The sources listed by Gordies Call below may help.

Township High School District #113 Policy:

The objectives of the District’s drug policy are:

• To educate children and adults as to the serious physical, mental, and emotional harm caused by the use of drugs.
• To provide a deterrent to the use of drugs by students of District #113.
• To give students a valid reason to resist peer pressure to use drugs.
• To provide and maintain a safe, secure school environment, free of drug use and its effects.
• To eliminate the negative impact of drug use on the safety of students and others while traveling to and from school as well as throughout the school day and during school activities.

In order to meet the objectives of this program, all students and their parent/guardian are asked to sign a consent form agreeing to be part of the drug testing program for Township High School District #113.  During initial implementation, all students will take a mandatory drug test, and all students will be involved in random testing equivalent to a minimum of 10% of the group per month.  In subsequent years, incoming ninth graders will take a mandatory drug test, and all students, grades nine through twelve, will be involved in random testing at an equivalent to a minimum of 10% of the group per month.  Students entering the district after the first day or who had not been part of the initial mandatory testing will be given the test at the next random testing date.  Testing requires students to provide a urine sample, which is collected by an independent lab and screened for signs of tobacco and alcohol use, as well as for illegal substances.  If any of these substances are found as a result of the drug test, consequences will be imposed according to the policies listed on pages 18-21 of the student handbook.

Sources:
The Student Drug Testing Coalition #1
The Student Drug Testing Coalition #2
The ACLU

*Gordie's Call is an organization started by the family of a University of Colorado Student who died during an alcohol fueled hazing incident when he was a freshman.  We'll be looking at his story a bit more later in the year but some of the resources at the link may be interesting.