Capital Punishment in the US

Capital Punishment in the US Katie Sawtelle Capital Punishment: Americas Blood Stained Hands In 2015, the most executions took place in China, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States of America (Death Penalty 2015). What a peculiarity it is to see the U.S. included in the list alongside undemocratic nations. America is the only westernized country that still continues to put the death penalty to use. Capital punishment should be abolished for it delivers inadequate legal representation and is discriminatory toward racial minorities. It is a fundamental right for a defendant in a capital case to be assigned a competent lawyer, yet, more often than not, court appointed public defenders often lack the skills and drive for effective representation. A common characteristic of those on death row is poverty. It is estimated that around 90% of inmates on death row could not afford to hire an adequate attorney (American Civil Liberties Union). Without a competent lawyer, a defendants case barely stands a chance. In the spring of 2014, Glenn Ford, an African-American man, was released from a Louisiana prison after spending thirty years on death row for a crime he did not commit (Bright). Ford could not afford an attorney in his capital case, so the court appointed him two lawyers for his representation. One of the lawyers was an oil and gas attorney who had never presented a case in front of a jury before. The second lawyer was a recent law school graduate that worked for an insurance firm. Despite the weak case presented against Ford, the all white jury sentenced him to death (Bright). It is not equal justice when the defendant receives inadequate representation just because of the amount of money he or she has. Appropriately put, those without the capital get the punishment (Von Drehle). Those accused of capital crimes rely on lawyers to protect their legal rights, investigate, and present evidence that will doubt their guilt. It is extremely difficult for a low-income defendant to navigate the legal justice system on their own. One major reason that innocent defendants have been placed on death row and executed is due to incompetent or inexperienced court-appointed lawyers; in extreme cases, some attorneys have been found asleep, intoxicated, or under the influence of drugs during trial proceedings (Bright). Some may argue that if court appointed lawyers were much better, then guilty people could be acquitted. That may be true, however, the more important issue regarding better court-appointed lawyers is that innocent people could be acquitted. Innocent people that were convicted and executed could have possibly lived out the rest of their lives if they had received better court-appointed legal defense. In some states, people sentenced to death may receive legal representation from pro-bono (free service for the public) lawyers or from public organizations. Most of the time, there is not enough pro-bono attorneys for all of the poor defendants facing death row. This could possibly result in the defendant obtaining an inept court-appointed lawyer. To receive a new trial, a defendant could file for post-conviction relief and state that their constitutional rights were violated, however, it is usually only possible for those who can afford lawyers. Some states provide lawyers for post-conviction relief, although the majority of the nation does not. Regardless of whether a defendants constitutional rights were violated at trial, they still may have to face execution. A number of people are sentenced to death not because they committed the most heinous crime, rather, the courts did not provide them with competent legal representation. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a United States Supreme Court Ju stice has said, I have yet to see a death case, among the dozens coming to the Supreme Court on eve of execution petitions, in which the defendant was well represented at trial (Bright). The amount of money a defendant has in capital cases can be the difference between life and death; In present day America, it is better to be rich and guilty, than poor and innocent (Bright). The death penalty in the antebellum South (1815-1861) was a tool of white supremacy. The possibility of slave uprisings haunted slave owners, therefore, the death penalty was regularly enforced to resist slave opposition. (Von Drehle). In Virginia, during the antebellum era, it was a capital offense for a slave to administer medicine, for it could have been poison. Also, an old statute in Georgia stated that if a slave left a bruise on his master, he could receive capital punishment (Von Drehle). The late M. Watt Espy, a researcher that studied capital punishment, recorded around 15,000 executions in the United States dating from 1608 to 1972 (Von Drehle). Espys research and recordings reveal racial disparity in U.S. executions. His research suggests that in a significantly white America, more blacks than whites are executed. Whites were rarely put to death for crimes that involved African-American victims (Von Drehle). A study of the death penalty done by the University of Texas pro posed that Americas modern-day capital punishment system is an outgrowth of the racist legacy of slavery (qtd. in American Civil Liberties Union). Racial bias is still very much alive in the modern justice system of America It is far more likely for racial minorities (African-American and Latinos) to be placed on death row and be put to death than white people particularly if the victim is white. A recent Louisiana study conducted by Glenn Pierce (research scientist at Northeastern University) and Michael Radelet (Professor of Sociology at University of Colorado-Boulder) indicated that defendants with white victims were 97% more likely to receive death sentences than defendants with black victims (qtd. in American Civil Liberties Union). In the United States, blacks and whites are murder victims in nearly exact numbers, which is exceptionally high considering that 13% of the population is African-American. Between the years 1930 and 1996, around 4,200 prisoners were put to death in America; more than half of those prisoners were black (American Civil Liberties Union). Americas death row has always had a large population of African Americans and they are often killed for what are deemed less-than-capital offenses for whites, such as rape and burglary (American Civil Liberties Union). It has been asserted that racial discrimination and the death penalty are part of Americas past, nevertheless, since the reinstatement of the death penalty in the 1970s, around half of those on death row at any given time have been minorities. Florida Latinos are beginning to shift away from the death penalty. The state of Florida has one of the lowest bars for sentencing someone to death by not requiring a unanimous jury recommendation, and they lead the nation in death row inmates being released due to wrongful convictions (Cartagena). For these reasons, Floridas death penalty has been struck down as unconstitutional twice in 2016. Four Florida counties Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Duval are among 16 counties nationwide that have each had five or more death sentences between 2010 and 2015 (Cartagena). All of these counties have been found to suffer from prosecutor misconduct, bad defense lawyers, wrongful convictions and racial bias (Cartagena). From 2010-2015, every inmate in Miami-Dade County who was sentenced to death, was black or Latino. Yet, studies argue that in most locations across America, minorities are responsible for less than half of homicides (Too Broken to Fix). The nations largest death row capacity resides in Los Angeles County, California and statisticians expect continued growth. In 2013, reports revealed that Los Angeles County was responsible for more death row prisoners than any other county in the United States, and it has ranked as one of the two most prolific counties in imposing new death sentences each year since (Too Broken To Fix). Between the years 2010 and 2015, Los Angeles County imposed 31 death sentences, which adds up to be the most death sentences enforced in any U.S. county during that period (Too Broken To Fix). Those 31 death sentences in L.A. show severe racial disparity in their sentences: approximately 94% of the 31 death sentences enforced were directed toward minority (Latino and African-American) defendants and even though African Americans commit fewer than one-third of all Los Angeles County homicides, they comprised 42% of those condemned to death in this period. 45% of the new death sentences were imposed on Latino defendants (Too Broken to Fix). Only two white defendants received the death penalty. Unsurprisingly, a 2014 study conducted in Southern California concluded that white jurors are more probable to inflict capital punishment when the defendant is Latino and poor than in cases where the defendant is white. Latino jurors presented no such bias (Too Broken to Fix). The amount of racial minorities sentenced and executed on death row continues to suggest that capital punishment and racial discrimination are indeed still a part of modern day America. Since the Supreme Court reinstatement of the death penalty in the mid-1970s, juries in Texas have to determine if the defendant poses a future risk to the public, before applying the death sentence. Most states have the jurors consider past behavior and crimes of the defendant, however, in Texas, juries are asked to predict the future (Vansickle). In essence, these jurors are asked to predict the unpredictable. Those who are pro-death penalty may argue that experts can determine future violence, however, if juries and experts could determine future danger, then there would not be any crime. Currently, in the state of Texas, there are around 240 men and women on death row that have been determined to pose a threat to society. The question of future dangerousness has not reduced the amount of death sentences, rather, testimony on the issue has often instead introduced racial bias into trials (Death Penalty Information Center). The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard arguments for the Texas death penalty case of Buck v. Davis. In July of 1995, the defendant, Duane Buck, shot and killed his ex-girlfriend and her friend (Vansickle). At the trial, Bucks lawyer initiated testimony from a psychologist that said Buck was dangerous and posed a threat to the public since he was African-American. In 1997, the jury found Buck guilty and sentenced him to death. Before his execution, the Supreme Court halted his case due to the racial bias that resulted in his death sentence. Buck is still awaiting his new sentencing. Many studies, including one conducted by Cornell University, propose that the race of the victim and defendant play a critical part in whether a person receives the death penalty (qtd. in Vansickle). Criminologists conducted a study used in Bucks appeal that analyzed racial disparity in Harris County, Texas the location where Buck was sentenced to death. The study resulted that from 1992 to 1999, Harris County prosecutors were three and a half times more likely to seek the death penalty against black defendants than white ones. Jurors were more than twice as likely to sentence blacks to death (Vansickle). Another study led by Jennifer Eberhardt, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, established that in cases with a white victim and a defendant with stereotypical black features, the more probable the defendant would be sentenced to death (Eberhardt). These studies suggest that race plays a detrimental role in whether a defendant receives the death penalty. Race should never be a predictor of dangerousness or influence whether a person receives the death penalty, yet, it is the harsh reality in the land of the free. With the death penalty, someone will always end up on the short end of the stick; usually that person is either African-American or Latino. The U.S. should not put value on someones life based on their skin color, however, it is the current reality. Stephen Bright, Professor of Clinical Law at Yale Law School, argues that the only way for racial prejudice to no longer play a role in the decision of the death penalty is to completely remove capital punishment in the U.S.: With the long history of slavery, lynchings, convict leasing, segregation, racial oppression and now mass incarceration that has a much greater impact on racial minorities, surely states should eliminate any chance that racial prejudice might play a role. But there is only one way to do that: by eliminating the death penalty. (Bright) In the United States Constitution and pledge of allegiance, it promises equal justice for all. Yet, race and poverty continue to influence who will be condemned to death in the land of equal opportunity. Finality not justice, not liberty is the ultimate goal of the legal system in the United States. Capital punishment desensitizes society.. It teaches the American youth that society solves its problems with violence. It displays the absence of appreciation for life. And, as the equal justice giant, Martin Luther King Jr. once said, capital punishment is societys final statement that it will not forgive (qtd. in Bright). The United States should join 140 other nations in making final the directive: thou shalt not kill. Works Cited Bright, Stephen. Imposition of the death penalty upon the poor, racial minorities, the intellectually disabled and the mentally ill. New York University Law School, 2014. Web. 7 January 2017. Bright, Stephen. Race, Poverty, the Death Penalty, and the Responsibility of the Legal Profession. Seattle Journal for Social Justice 1.1 (2002): 12. Web. 7 January 2017. Bright, Stephen. The Failure to Achieve Fairness: Race and Poverty Continue to Influence Who Dies. Journal of Constitutional Law 11.1 (2008):16. Web. 7 January 2017. Cartagena, Juan. Latinos join call to end Floridas death penalty. Orlando Sentinel. Orlando Sentinel, 10 December 2016. Web. 7 January 2017. Death Penalty 2015. Amnesty International. 6 April 2016. Web. 7 January 2017. Death Penalty Information Center. Death Penalty Information Center, 2016. Web. 7 January 2017. Eberhardt, Jennifer. Looking Deathworthy. Psychological Science 17.5 (2006): 383-386. Web. 7 January 2017. The Case Against the Death Penalty. American Civil Liberties Union. 2012. Web. 7 January 2017. Too Broken to Fix. Fair Punishment. September 2016. Web. 7 January 2017. Vansickle, Abbie. A Deadly Question. The Atlantic. The Atlantic, 19 November 2016. Web. 7 January 2017. Von Drehle, David. The Death of the Death Penalty. Time. Time, 8 June 2015. Web. 7 January 2017.

Characteristics of Successful Online Learners

Although these are the main characteristics found in this article, I think there are much more o the characteristics to online learners then meet the eye. (British Journal of Education Volvo 44 No 5 2013) In the article Exploring the link among entry characteristics, participation behaviors, and course outcomes of online learners by Reran Housework and Arcane Top, talks about how the entry' characteristics of early online learners were older, male, employed students, (THOMPSON 1 998) but as online learning progressed all ages, sexes and employment status used online learning as the way they furthered education. Dabbing 2007) Participation behaviors of online learners were described in the article as people who possessed more knowledge of online communication tools like blobs and interactive tools had increased knowledge of how online learning worked. The articled also stated that learners that had knowledge of CM tools tend to interact more than other online learners. (Goodwin et al 2008) Course Outcomes have a large effect on online learners. An online leaner tends to return to learning and tell about the experience if they are satisfied with the outcome of their achievements during their online experience.While I read this article thought about my own experience of wanting to learn online. I found I too possessed several of the characteristics described in the article. Although I found the article a bit one sided as to age, gender, and backgrounds, I did think that the article pointed out as online learning progresses the characteristics seem not to have the same in commons as it once did was a very good point to make showing that more and more people of all sexes, ages and backgrounds are turning to online learning just as they would face to face learning.Reading this article made me want to work harder on my degree. It made me want to study harder, to learn as much as I could so can show that online learning is not just for smart, male, employed people like it once was. That it is for all people who want to learn and achieve their goals. Anyone that wants to pursue an online education can do it; they just have to want it. The conclusions in the article were accurate for the time it was written, it was objective to all online learners and was well written and articulated. The Scriptures teach us that anyone can learn and be taught.Proverbs 22:6 â€Å"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. † Characteristics of online learners are similar to everyone in some aspect of life. I have learned that everyone makes their own path, their own goals, and achievements. Reading this article on the topic of characteristics of online learners showed me how I can be a better online student, ask for more out of my time as an online learner, and want more as an online learner. Want to strive to learn more, give more, and ask more questions in my online learning and in my everyday life.I will make my online learning experience the best it can be. I will achieve my goal of earning a degree and I will make a better life for me and my family. Reading this article has given me more passion and more drive that I can earn this degree and I can have my cake and eat it too. Characteristics of online learners may be similar to most online learners, but have learned that even though entry characteristics, participation behaviors, and course outcomes may have an effect on online learning outcomes, as individuals we learn differently and want different things out of our online earning experiences.Online learning is unique experience and it takes planning, organization, and dedication to be an online learner, we can all do it and we can all achieve our goals if we put our minds to it. In our life as children we have really always been online learners, just not on the internet. We learned from the lines in the Bible, we learned from the line in our school books, and we have learned from ou r parents. If you apply all that you have learned in your life to your online learning you will be a Successful Online Learner.

Was Shakespeare Gay

It is almost impossible to determine whether Shakespeare was gay because only scant documentary evidence has survived about his personal life. Yet, the question is constantly asked: was Shakespeare homosexual? Before we can answer this question, we first need to establish the context of his romantic relationships. Was Shakespeare Gay or Straight? One fact is certain: Shakespeare was in a heterosexual marriage. At the age of 18, William married Anne Hathaway in a shotgun ceremony probably because their child was conceived out of wedlock. Anne, who was eight years older than William, remained in Stratford-upon-Avon with their children while William left for London to pursue a career in the theater. Whilst in London, anecdotal evidence suggests that Shakespeare had multiple affairs. The most famous example comes from the diary of John Manningham who recounts the romantic rivalry between Shakespeare and Burbage, the leading man of the acting troupe: Upon a time when Burbage played Richard the Third there was a citizen grew so far in liking with him, that before she went from the play she appointed him to come that night unto her by the name of Richard the Third. Shakespeare, overhearing their conclusion, went before, was entertained and at his game ere Burbage came. Then, message being brought that Richard the Third was at the door, Shakespeare caused return to be made that William the Conqueror was before Richard the Third. In this anecdote, Shakespeare and Burbage fight over a promiscuous woman – William does, of course, win! Promiscuous women turn up elsewhere including the Dark Lady Sonnets in which the poet addresses a woman he desires, but should not love. Although anecdotal, there is a body of evidence to suggest that Shakespeare was unfaithful in his marriage, so to determine if Shakespeare was homosexual, we have to look beyond his marriage. Homoeroticism in Shakespeare’s Sonnets The Fair Youth Sonnets are addressed to a young man who, like the Dark Lady, is unobtainable. The language in the poetry is intense and charged with homoeroticism. In particular, Sonnet 20 contains sensual language that seems to transcend even the highly affectionate relationships that were common between men in Shakespeare’s time. At the start of the poem, the Fair Youth is described as the â€Å"master-mistress of my passion†, but Shakespeare finishes the poem with: And for a woman wert thou first created;Till Nature, as she wrought thee, fell a-doting,And by addition me of thee defeated,By adding one thing to my purpose nothing.But since she prickd thee out for womens pleasure,Mine be thy love and thy loves use their treasure. Some claim that this ending reads like a disclaimer to clear Shakespeare of the serious charge of homosexuality – as it would have been perceived in his time. Art Vs. Life The sexuality argument rests on why Shakespeare wrote the sonnets. If Shakespeare was homosexual (or perhaps bisexual), then the sonnets need to overlap with Bard’s personal life to establish a link between the content of the poems and his sexuality. But there is no evidence that the poet speaking in the texts is supposed to be Shakespeare himself and we do not know who they were written for and why. Without this context, critics can only muster conjecture about Shakespeare’s sexuality. However, there are a few significant facts that lend weight to the argument: The Sonnets were not intended to be published and it is, therefore, more likely that the texts reveal the personal feelings of the Bard.The Sonnets were dedicated to â€Å"Mr. WH†, widely believed to be Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton or William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke. Perhaps these are the handsome men the poet lusts after? The reality is that it is impossible to unpick Shakespeare’s sexuality from his writing. All but a few sexuality references are heterosexual in tone, yet vast theories have been built around the exceptions. And at best, these are rather codified and ambiguous references to homosexuality. Shakespeare may well have been homo- or heterosexual, but there simply is not the evidence to say either way.

Northern Illinois University Acceptance Rate, SAT/ACT Scores

Northern Illinois University is a public research university with an acceptance rate of 54%. Chartered in 1895 and located in Dekalb, Illinois, Northern Illinois offers over 100 areas of undergraduate study.  NIU has a 16-to-1  student / faculty ratio, and high-achieving students might consider the University Honors Program which offers small classes and opportunities for independent research. Campus life is active with over 320 student clubs and organizations. In athletics, the Northern Illinois University Huskies compete in the NCAA Division I  Mid-American Conference. Considering applying to Northern Illinois University? Here are the admissions statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores of admitted students. Acceptance Rate During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, Northern Illinois University had an acceptance rate of 54%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 54 students were admitted, making NIUs admissions process competitive. Admissions Statistics (2017-18) Number of Applicants 14,157 Percent Admitted 54% Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 24% SAT Scores and Requirements Northern Illinois University requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 51% of admitted students submitted SAT scores. SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile ERW 490 600 Math 480 590 ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing This admissions data tells us that most of Northern Illinois Universitys admitted students fall within the  bottom 29% nationally  on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to NIU scored between 490 and 600, while 25% scored below 490 and 25% scored above 600. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 480 and 590, while 25% scored below 480 and 25% scored above 590. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1190 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at Northern Illinois University. Requirements Northern Illinois University does not require the optional SAT writing section, but will consider it if submitted. Note that Northern Illinois does not superscore SAT results, your highest composite SAT score from a single test date will be considered.   ACT Scores and Requirements Northern Illinois University requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 30% of admitted students submitted ACT scores. ACT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile English 18 25 Math 18 25 Composite 19 25 This admissions data tells us that most of Northern Illinois Universitys admitted students fall within the  bottom 46% nationally  on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to NIU received a composite ACT score between 19 and 25, while 25% scored above 25 and 25% scored below 19. Requirements Note that Northern Illinois University does not supescore ACT results; your highest composite ACT score will be considered. NIU does not require the optional ACT writing section, but will consider it if submitted. GPA Northern Illinois University does not provide data about admitted students high school GPAs. Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph Northern Illinois University Applicants Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph. Data courtesy of Cappex. The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Northern Illinois University. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in  with a free Cappex account. Admissions Chances Northern Illinois University, which accepts over half of applicants, has a selective admissions process. If your SAT/ACT scores and GPA fall within the schools average range, you have a strong chance of being accepted. Minimum admission standards include an ACT of at least 19, or an SAT of 990 or higher combined with a minimum GPA of 2.75, or class rank in the top 50%. Applicants with higher test scores and lower GPAs are also eligible for admission to Northern Illinois University. The university requires applicants to have completed four years of high school English, three years of math, three years of science (including at least one year of lab science), three years of social studies (including U.S. History or U.S. Government), and two years of foreign language, art, or music. Applicants who do not meet the minimum standards for admission may still be considered for admission through Additional Review. In the scattergram above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students. The majority of students admitted to Northern Illinois University had GPAs of about 2.5 or higher, an ACT composite score above 18, and a combined SAT score (ERWM) above 950. Your chances of being admitted will be better  if your grades and test scores are above these lower ranges. If You Like Northern Illinois University, You May Also Like These Schools Illinois State UniversityDePaul UniversityUniversity of IowaNorthwestern UniversityUniversity of ChicagoPurdue UniversityLoyola University ChicagoBradley University All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and Northern Illinois University Undergraduate Admissions Office.