Alexia Alanis-Vargas

1st source

“Frontline: History of the Death Penalty” by Michael H. Reggio, ​www.pbs.org (accessed Dec. 5,
2017).

This source begins by dating how long the death penalty has existed. It says it dates back to
the ancient laws of China. The article them moves through the history of the death penalty and
how it changes and it name many different countries that used it. Lastly, it talks about the death
penalty in the United States. This source relates to my topic because it explains that capital
punishment has been around a long time and was used for different crimes and all over the
world. This will support my topic because I can say that times have changed but people still
support the death penalty. A quote I can use from this source is “By early 1975, thirty states had
again passed death penalty laws and nearly two hundred prisoners were on death row.” I will
use this quote to establish that there are opponents to death penalty but there were enough
supporters in favor of the death penalty that 30 states once again passed the death penalty.

2nd source

ProCon.org (2017, January 24), Does the Death Penalty Cost Less than Life in Prison without
Parole? Retrieved from ​http://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionsID=
001000

This source gives several quotes that state that the death penalty does cost less than life
without parole. This source explains how the death penalty is more cost effective because the
criminals do not have to be cared for at the state’s expense. This source relates to my topic
because it helps support the use of the death penalty. I can use this source in support of my
argument that the death penalty should be used and one of the reasons is because it can save
money. I will use some of the quotes to explain how the death penalty is cost effective. It
includes some information explaining that the death penalty also saves money in trials and
appeals.

3rd source

U.S. Department of Justice , “Capital Punishment, 2009 Statistical Tables-Number of Persons

Executed by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Method, 1977-2009”, December 2, 2010.

This source discusses the different methods of execution in the United States. It lists lethal
injection, electrocution, and the gas chamber as methods of execution. This source relates to
my topic because it says that the death penalty does not have to be cruel punishment. It can be
humane. I will use this source to list the different forms of execution. It will also be helpful for
people to understand the time each of the methods takes for death to occur.

4th source

ProCon. Org (2008, October 20). Should Victim's’ Opinion Matter When Considering the Death
Penalty? Retrieved from ​http://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001005

The main idea of this article is to discuss why victims should have a say on whether the murder
deserves the death penalty. It talks about the family members and the victims having rights.
This relates to my topic because it supports the death penalty. It is in favor of the death penalty
because it is saying that the criminal is not the only one that has rights, so do the victims. A
quote I can use from this source is “Victims.. Have a constitutional right to make a statement to
the court at sentencing.” I can use this quote to say that we should take into consideration what
the victim's’ family want to happen to the criminal.

5th source

ProCon. Org (2017, January 25). Does the Death Penalty Deter Crime? Retrieved from http://
deathpenalty.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000983

This source explains pros and cons on whether or not the death penalty deters crimes. Some of
the data is in support of it deterring crime while other says that there is no correlation. I will use
this source in support of my stance for the death penalty. I will use the quote “there is a simple
but dramatic relationship between the number of executions carried out and a corresponding
reduction in the number of murders.” I will use this quote to explain that the death penalty is
actually saving lives because it scares criminals from taking lives because they themselves do
not want to die.