Annotated Bibliography

Alter, Jonathan. "Injustice, Texas Style." Newsweek 156.16 (2010): 22. Academic Search
Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=a9h&AN=54412015&site=ehost-live. Accessed 12 Oct. 2016.
The author, Jonathan Alter, has the article open up with Republican Tom Foley asking Democrat
Dan Malloy the question, Why would you abolish the death penalty when a majority of voters
support it (Injustice, Texas), adding that Its arrogant (Alter). He then explains how the debate
on capital punishment is compared to a subject like abortiona tiring topic where everyone has
a set opinion about the subject. The article goes on to explain how incompetent the government
is. Foley tries to win the death penalty because of a case where a home invasion led to the deaths
of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters. Alter then brings up another house-fire murder
case in Texas. Cameron Todd Willingham, convicted of murder for a house fire that killed his
three daughters, ruled out to be arson by multiple top fire inspectors. After he was executed in
2004, Texas Governor Rick Perry did everything he could to cover up Willingham. He even fired
the members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission that exposed the evidence that were
used against Willingham. Alter brings up yet another figure, Mark White, to testify against the
laws system. White opens up on how dysfunctional Texass criminal justice system has turned
into. Mark White goes into court to spread his belief that Willingham was innocent because there
is no evidence that Willingham was arson. Alter concludes the article by admitting, an
irreversible sentence should be rare and applied only when theres no sliver of doubt (Injustice,
Texas).
This article brings in factual evidence rising up to the several cases that involved the courts
system on the death penalty. It talked about the sloppy evidence being reviewed and noting that
there needs to be more evidence to enable a punishment as threatening as the death penalty. It

pulls a major side of the controversy where some victims turn out guilty when the punishment
has already been granted, which is one of the main sources for opposition against the death
penalty.
Alters article will be very useful to my work because he covers almost half of the controversy of
the death penalty. He brings an accurate perspective on why people who oppose capital
punishment think that the death sentence should be used very rarely or even not at all.

Funt, Peter. "Nothing To Cheer About." Humanist 71.6 (2011): 6-7. Academic Search Complete.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=a9h&AN=66842660&site=ehost-live. Accessed 12 Oct. 2016.
Author Peter Funt first addresses a major situation between Texas Governor Rick Perry and a
nonprofit Innocence Project that quietly goes on to exposing innocent inmates on death row. Funt
opens the time where NBCs Brian Williams asks Perry revealing questions as to whether he has
thought about the innocent lives he might have taken away on death row. Perry goes on to
decline ever having to and dodges the real truth of innocent people being killed on the death
penalty. Only a few have been able to escape the doom of the death sentence. One of those
victims, unfortunately, was found guilty after the punishment, according to Funt. The article then
goes on to mention how Perry and other Texas officials tend to squash the Willingham
investigation. Funt ends with biased statements trying to bring light into what he believes to be
shameless and horrifying executions.

This article, undoubtedly, tries to shine a light on the opposition against the death penalty. Funt
expresses the dark side the government shows as people cheer for Perry while has taken lives of
multiple victims, which of whom might have been innocent.
The information in this article will be somewhat useful towards my work. Having biased
information will deepen one side of the controversy.

JOHNSON, STEPHON. "States continue death penalty debate." New York Amsterdam News
Dec. 2011: 4+. Academic Search Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=a9h&AN=69903981&site=ehost-live. Accessed 10 October 2016
In this article, author Stephon Johnson of New York Amsterdam News opens up by asking the
question: Should American citizens continue to face state-sanctioned killings? (States
continue). He first addresses this topic by bringing up Governor John Kitzha-ber, from Oregon,
who is against government execution. John Kitzhaber speaks out the brief history of capital
punishments outlawing and restoring into the court throughout the 1900s. Then he states how,
throughout his years of experiencing the act, he believes that capital punishment is immoral and
unnecessary in terms of making society safer. But the family of Mary Archer, a women who was
raped and beat to death, says otherwise. After the criminals death sentence was halted, family of
Archer states that it makes no sense and evens calls Kitzhaber a coward. The article then moves
on to another state where capital punishment is deemed controversial. In North Carolina, the
sixth highest number of inmate prisoners remain on death row and that a majority of them have
been found to be black. A law has been made to reduce the punishment if the punishment is
considered to be racially biased.

This article provides good details for both side of the argument. Kitzhaber being the opposition
and the family of Mary Archer to be the defendants. The author even brings a new perspective to
the spectrum by adding racial controversy. A punishment may be extended if the inmate has
taken away a white individuals life and so a controversy has sparked yet another side of death
penalties.
This article will be helpful in my work because it provides decent information for both sides of
the controversy and even brings a unique element to be looked over.