User:MayoStephanie/sandbox/ArticleEvaluations

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-used-to-think-gun-control-was-the-answer-my-research-told-me-otherwise/2017/10/03/d33edca6-a851-11e7-92d1-58c702d2d975_story.html?utm_term=.3cf021905639

Evaluating content The article is relevant to the article topic in that the author identifies the various problems that arise when discussing gun control and touches on many of the popular policies. However, it was distracting how she failed to address what gun control policies that she continues to endorse and the intervention methods that could reduce gun deaths.

The article is from 2017 and the statistics used are outdated, but the general article remains relevant as gun control remains the focus of many legislators.

This article could be improved by perhaps adding a true story to the gun control policy, such as someone directly impacted by a gun death. This would help to put the human factor into the article so that people understand the human cost of not protecting vulnerable people from gun violence. I also feel the article would be improved by adding what gun control policies the author and her colleagues still support and by suggesting mental health intervention strategies to assist those struggling with thoughts of suicide.

The article is not neutral, as the author discovered in her research that gun control policies are ineffective for the majority of gun deaths. The author originally appears to be biased when advocating for gun control, but reverses that position somewhat following the results of her research.

There were no over or under represented points in the article as the author seems to fairly assess the problems of gun control policy.

The majority of links in the article go to the same website, but show the compiled research that was gathered on gun deaths. The links all work and provide the data that the author used to make her determination on the effectiveness of gun control policies.

There are few facts provided in the article other than the statistics that she retrieved from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This isn't linked in the original article, but a direct link to their statistics are provided in the Gun Deaths in America blog. The CDC is a neutral source; however, the FiveThirtyEight webpage appears to be slightly biased against gun control policy, which is implied in the closing paragraphs.

Capital punishment in the United States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_the_United_States

Introduction: Anytime that information is presented as fact, it should be cited by credible sources, which is lacking for much of this wiki. The introductory paragraph should explain what crimes are eligible for capital punishment. The first death sentence historically recorded occurred in 16th Century BC Egypt (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/execution/readings/history.html). It should elaborate on how capital punishment came into existence in the American colonies, such as including the fact that it was brought to America from England and was not something that originated in America as implied. Updated 2018 capital punishment country lists (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/maps-and-graphics/countries-that-still-have-the-death-penalty/) specify there are only 53 countries with the death penalty so this information (and the information on the linked Wiki page) needs to be updated to reflect this change as the only external source cited for this is from 2016. Furthermore, while the death penalty exists in 30 states, 11 states haven't used it in more than a decade (http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/08/10/11-states-that-have-the-death-penalty-havent-used-it-in-more-than-a-decade/).

Pre-Furman History: Captain George Kendall was executed for mutiny. The Bill of Rights was not included in the first Constitution to be ratified in 1788 and the 8th Amendment was added in 1791, not 1789 as the article states (https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-viii). Additionally, some states ratified the Constitution prior to 1788; however, this was when it became the official governing document of the United States (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-constitution-ratified). The Espy file's 15,269 capital punishment statistics date range is actually from 1608-2002, not 1608-1991 as the article states (https://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004087#I). The U.S. military executed 135 people from 1916-1999, not 1955 as stated (https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/us-military-death-penalty). Early Abolition Movement: Enlightenment began near the end of the 18th century and this was a catalyst to limit the scope of capital punishment crimes. Michigan became a state in 1837, the state legislature voted to abolish capital punishment in 1846 for all crimes other than treason (https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/michigan-0). Maine abolished capital punishment in 1876, it was reinstated in 1883, then abolished again in 1887 (https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/maine-0). Vermont abolished death penalty in 1972, not 1964 and Hawaii in 1957, not 1948.

Constitutional Law Developments: Trop v. Dulles did uphold the concept of due process, but had nothing to do with capital punishment or what constituted cruel and unusual punishment per se. It instead stated that all involuntary expatriation is a denial of due process and that losing citizenship is a denial of due process under the 8th Amendment (https://openjurist.org/239/f2d/527/trop-v-dulles).

Capital Punishment Suspended: The entirety of the first and second paragraphs have no references connected to them to prove the statements they contain as facts. Furman v. Georgia was in fact 3 separate judicial appeals banded together because of the common capital punishment mandate. One was for a murder; however, the other 2 were rape cases. It was successfully argued that the punishment shouldn't be the same for taking a life and rape and that the death penalty was being haphazardly applied (https://capitalpunishmentincontext.org/resources/casesummaries/furman). The Supreme Court has ruled capital punishment does not violate a defendant's 8th Amendment rights, but does ensure that certain requirements are met for all death penalty cases (https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/death_penalty). This ruling voided the sentences of 629 death row inmates because the statutes they were convicted under were deemed unconstitutional and their sentences were reduced (https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/part-i-history-death-penalty).

Capital Punishment Reinstated:

"A jury found Gregg guilty of armed robbery and murder and sentenced him to death. On appeal, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed the death sentence except as to its imposition for the robbery conviction. Gregg challenged his remaining death sentence for murder, claiming that his capital sentence was a "cruel and unusual" punishment that violated the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments." (https://www.oyez.org/cases/1975/74-6257). "No. In a 7-to-2 decision, the Court held that a punishment of death did not violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments under all circumstances. In extreme criminal cases, such as when a defendant has been convicted of deliberately killing another, the careful and judicious use of the death penalty may be appropriate if carefully employed. Georgia's death penalty statute assures the judicious and careful use of the death penalty by requiring a bifurcated proceeding where the trial and sentencing are conducted separately, specific jury findings as to the severity of the crime and the nature of the defendant, and a comparison of each capital sentence's circumstances with other similar cases. Moreover, the Court was not prepared to overrule the Georgia legislature's finding that capital punishment serves as a useful deterrent to future capital crimes and an appropriate means of social retribution against its most serious offenders." (https://www.oyez.org/cases/1975/74-6257). First paragraph has no connected references or links to an article articulating these facts. Last statement made in this section lacks a reference to prove it.

Supreme Court Narrows Capital Offenses: Coker v. Georgia: The link has strictly only one paragraph and it is linked to another Wikipedia article. They failed to mention that Coker had broken out of prison. He was arrested for murder, rape, kidnapping, and assault. He ended up breaking into a Georgia couple's home, he then raped the woman and stole the family car afterwards. First paragraph has no source.

Repeal Movements and Legal Challenges: Second to last paragraph (basically a sentence) is the only place so far that any sort of “racial bias” has been involved throughout the article.

Lethal Injection Era: Second to last paragraph has no citation for the fact they stated. First sentence of the next paragraph has no citation for being such a strong statement. Map: Top Right Corner description under map needs clarification. The map states that capital punishment is used for "certain federal crimes"; however, it fails to mention that state statutes often overlap federal statutes and capital punishment can be sought by the state for eligible crimes. In every subsection within this article every link you click on is linked to another Wikipedia that may not be reliable like some of the others that I previously corrected. A lot of the information given sounds factual, but little references or proper references are cited making the article opinionated and not factual. The article loses quite a bit of credibility.