Writing prompt:

Imagine that the United States Congress is considering a ban on the death penalty. They are primarily motivated by studies showing that the death penalty is applied more frequently to African-Americans, suggesting racial bias within the judicial system.

Write an article for your school newspaper informing your fellow students on racial bias and the application of the death penalty in the United States. Your task is to give your readers the information they need in order to fully understand the issue, not to take a position on this issue.

Your article should:

• be approximately 400 words long (not less and that doesn't include graphs and lengthy quotes)
• include information from at least three different reputable sources
• include statistics, definitions, examples, and quotations + sources "cited works"
• introduce the topic clearly
• Organize your presentation: find 2 to 3 steps of the procedure (each backed by evidence) that are most likely lead one to be convicted and sentenced to death due to race of the victim and/or the accused
• include a concluding statement (that sums up the essay + provide an opening - not an opinion)
• is written with one partner (my choice)  - One of you create a document and share it with your partner and me.

 Advise:

• Unpack the prompt. This is informational not an argumentative writing.
• The central idea is: The death penalty is applied unequally based on the race of the defendant.
• The primary focus in your work is: to inform yourselves on this topic and gather the most relevant information in order to write a strong article.
• Sources are provided: Read through the articles and highlight or annotate at least three details/facts/quotes/statistics from each
• Any research that is not completed during class should be finished for homework.

• Website: NAACP Death Penalty Fact Sheet
• Article: “Racism and the Execution Chamber” by Matt Ford
• Website: The Persistent Problem of Racial Disparities In The Federal Death Penalty
• Article: “Race and the Death Penalty by the Numbers” by Aura Bogado
• Article: “Washington State Strikes Down Death Penalty, Citing Racial Bias” by Merrit Kennedy
• Website: Race and the Death Penalty
• Website: Early History of the Death Penalty
•  Article: Trump's acquittal
• Equal Justice Initiative: Death Penalty
• Just Mercy. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Dec. 2019.

Example of organization: 

¶ 1 - History or broad survey of the death penalty in the United States;

¶ 2 - Racial differences in application based on accused;

¶ 3 - Racial differences in application based on the victim;

¶ 4 - The current state of the death penalty in this country;