[MODEL] Research Log #1 - Solutionary Project 2021

Date: 9 January 2021

Name: Paige Turner
Central Question: Should Hawaii institute the death penalty?
Thesis: Although it is commonly argued as one solution for decreasing crime, Hawaii should not institute the death
penalty to reduce crime.
Essay Sections:
#1 What is the problem? What are the systemic causes? Who is hurt and who benefits? (Use three sources.)
#2: What has been and is being done? (Use two sources.)
#3: What do you think should be done? What specific actions will you do? (Use one source.)

In which section will you use this source? # 1 What is the problem?

Excerpts:

Early in the article, Carlisle explained in simple terms,, “When the smaller crimes go down--the quality of life crimes--
then the murder rate goes down.”

Carlisle reported that in Hawaii we don’t have “the death penalty, but we have one of the lowest murder rates in the
country.” He continued, “The F.B.I. statistics for 1998 showed Hawaii’s homicide rate was the fifth lowest.”

Changing voters’ minds will not be easy: “Culture and religion play a role, as well as political vagaries in each state.”

Commentary and Analysis:

This website provides arguments against capital punishment. The author suggests the death penalty is not a
deterrent of crime. Surprisingly, the homicide rates of several different states that do not have the death penalty are
actually lower than those with the death penalty. Hawaii is one of these states. There are quotes from judges,
governors, and the prosecuting attorney from Hawaii, Peter Carlisle. Carlisle makes a reference to the Bryan Uyesugi
case – where the defendant shot seven of his co-workers at the Xerox copy machine company.
There is specific evidence against the death penalty that indicates it is not a deterrent of crime. For example,
even without the death penalty, Hawaii has the fifth lowest homicide rate in the nation. This proves, at least to some
degree, that a state without the death penalty can thrive as a one of the safest states in the nation. Along these same
lines of reasoning, homicide rates in the states that do have the death penalty are still high, such as Texas and
California. This indicates that the death penalty doesn’t necessarily deter crime. To ground this in more specific data,
the NY Times found that during the last twenty years, the homicide rate in states with the death penalty has been 48%
to 101% higher than states without the death penalty!
Culture, religion, politics, and the overall ideologies that dominate a community influence whether the death
penalty will remain law. In more conservative states, the death penalty is more prevalent. Interestingly, at Michigan’s
constitutional convention in the 1960s, some argued that those who were executed were predominantly poor and of
racial minorities. If valid, this is concerning as it indicates corruption in the system (a system that can end life). If the
death penalty remains, more efforts must be taken to ensure the quality and fairness of the justice system through
which they will be punished.

MLA Work Cited:

Bonner, Raymond and Ford Fessenden. “States with No Death Penalty Share Lower Homicide Rates.” The New York
Times. The New York Times. 22 September 2000. Web. 4 Jan 2004.

This is a reputable and reliable source because it was published in The New York Times Magazine and it only hires
the nation’s most highly trained and experienced writers.
 Research Log #1 - Solutionary Project 2021
Date:
Name:
Central Question:
Thesis:
Essay Sections:
#1 What is the problem? What are the systemic causes? Who is hurt and who benefits? (Use three sources.)
#2: What has been and is being done? (Use two sources.)
#3: What do you think should be done and what do you intend to do? (Use one source.)

In which section will you use this source?

Excerpts:

Commentary and Analysis:

MLA Work Cited:

This is a reputable and reliable article because

Research Log #2 - Solutionary Project 2021

Date:
Name:
Central Question:
Thesis:
Essay Sections:
#1 What is the problem? What are the systemic causes? Who is hurt and who benefits? (Use three sources.)
#2: What has been and is being done? (Use two sources.)
#3: What do you think should be done and what do you intend to do? (Use one source.)

In which section will you use this source?

Excerpts:

Commentary and Analysis:

MLA Work Cited:

This is a reputable and reliable article because

Research Log #3 - Solutionary Project 2021

Date:
Name:
Central Question:
Thesis:
Essay Sections:
#1 What is the problem? What are the systemic causes? Who is hurt and who benefits? (Use three sources.)
#2: What has been and is being done? (Use two sources.)
#3: What do you think should be done and what do you intend to do? (Use one source.)

In which section will you use this source?

Excerpts:

Commentary and Analysis:

MLA Work Cited:

This is a reputable and reliable article because

Research Log #4 - Solutionary Project 2021

 Date:
Name:
Central Question:
Thesis:
Essay Sections:
#1 What is the problem? What are the systemic causes? Who is hurt and who benefits? (Use three sources.)
#2: What has been and is being done? (Use two sources.)
#3: What do you think should be done and what do you intend to do? (Use one source.)

In which section will you use this source?

Excerpts:

Commentary and Analysis:

MLA Work Cited:

This is a reputable and reliable article because

Research Log #5 - Solutionary Project 2021

Date:
Name:
Central Question:
Thesis:
Essay Sections:
#1 What is the problem? What are the systemic causes? Who is hurt and who benefits? (Use three sources.)
#2: What has been and is being done? (Use two sources.)
#3: What do you think should be done and what do you intend to do? (Use one source.)

In which section will you use this source?

Excerpts:

Commentary and Analysis:

MLA Work Cited:

This is a reputable and reliable article because

 Research Log #6 - Solutionary Project 2021
Date:
Name:
Central Question:
Thesis:
Essay Sections:
#1 What is the problem? What are the systemic causes? Who is hurt and who benefits? (Use three sources.)
#2: What has been and is being done? (Use two sources.)
#3: What do you think should be done and what do you intend to do? (Use one source.)

In which section will you use this source?

Excerpts:

Commentary and Analysis:

MLA Work Cited:

This is a reputable and reliable article because