I need help with a paper?

Question

I have my senior seminar paper due in like one week. It has to be 30 pages...I have decided to do it on the death penalty. I do not know where to start. I have to research the issue myself...which I have already done. Now I have to have literature reviews, which I have never done. I am just confused and BTW this is an indepedent study class, which means I am on my own, no teacher...no classmates to ask. Please somebody help!!

OK I know that this is last minute...I do work full time and I go to school full time and I have two small children (5 yrs and 2 yrs) so please don't preach to me...just answer the question. Besides I have been working on it for awhile...I just need help. I already have the research done just need to know how to start.

Answer 1

I have been in your shoes numerous times, so my guess is that you are going to be spending several late nights this week trying to complete your assignment. This may help you get a start on your reviews:

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html

To get more info on this subject, just google "literature reviews."

Good luck with your paper. Let us know if you complete it on time.

Answer 2

Here a a few facts about the death penalty to get you started. They are all verifiable and sourced.

This is an issue that needs to be considered using solid facts. Here are a few.

Re: Alternatives
48 states have life without parole on the books. It means what it says, is swift and sure and is rarely appealed. Being locked in a tiny cell for 23 hours a day, forever, is certainly no picnic. Life without parole incapacitates a killer (keeps him from re-offending) and costs considerably less than the death penalty.

Re: Possibility of executing an innocent person
Over 120 people on death rows have been released with evidence of their innocence. Many had already served over 2 decades on death row. If we speed up the process we are bound to execute an innocent person. Once someone is executed the case is closed. If we execute an innocent person we are not likely to find that out and, also, the real criminal is still out there.

Re: DNA
DNA is available in no more than 10% of murder cases. (Source-Barry Scheck, Innocence Project) It is not a miracle cure for sentencing innocent people to death. It’s human nature to make mistakes.

Re: Appeals
Our appeals system is designed to make sure that the trial was in accord with constitutional standards, not to second guess whether the defendant was actually innocent. It is very difficult to get evidence of innocence introduced before an appeals court.

Re: Deterrence
The death penalty isn’t a deterrent. Murder rates are actually higher in states with the death penalty than in states without it. Moreover, people who kill or commit other serious crimes do not think they will be caught (if they think at all.)

Re: cost
The death penalty costs far more than life in prison. The huge extra costs start to mount up even before the trial. There are more cost effective ways to prevent and control crime.

Re: Who gets the death penalty
The death penalty isn’t reserved for the “worst of the worst,” but rather for defendants with the worst lawyers. When is the last time a wealthy person was sentenced to death, let alone executed??

Re: Victims families
The death penalty is very hard on victims’ families. They must relive their ordeal in the courts and the media. Life without parole is sure, swift and rarely appealed. Some victims families who support the death penalty in principal prefer life without parole because of how the death penalty affects families like theirs.

Opposing the death penalty doesn’t mean you condone brutal crimes or excuse people who commit them. According to a Gallup Poll, in 2006, 47% of all Americans prefer capital punishment while 48% prefer life without parole. Americans are learning the facts and making up their minds using common sense, not revenge or an eye for an eye mentality.

For further information on the history of the death penalty and more of the issues surrounding it, you ought to visit the Death Penalty Information Center, at www.deathpenaltyinfo.org. You will also find information about books on the subject.

Good luck.

Answer 3

First of all, stop freakin out! It's just a paper, it'll be okay. Secondly, you need to get yourself organized. Think of what it is you want to say in your paper. Do you agree or disagree with the death penalty? Once you figure out your stand on the subject, come up with a few different arguments as to why you support or disagree with the death penalty. I would go and use a web of some kind to plot out your ideas. Hope this helps you to get started!

Answer 4

Death...although it's a five letter word, it's still a word that most of us don't want to hear. Death implies decay... rot... ending. All animal-oriented things, and we humans are of that species, will decay and rot. To decay and rot means DYING...there we go again. Another version of that dreadful word , "Death."

You take it from here. Tie in all of your research. Good luck!

Answer 5

Your senior paper is due in only one week, and you have yet to begin? You had better get started, and quickly. I am afraid that you will not do very well because it will be rushed.

Answer 6

i have an idea for your subject, procrastination and its effect on those who do procrastinate.