Annotated Bibliography for Death Penalty

First Name, Last Name
Professor's Name
English 0219
25 July 2020
Thesis Statement
Different authors defend the death penalty because it is justifiable on personal, legal, philosophical, and theological fronts but also criticize it because it is legally untested and brings out racial injustices. But, there is a third stance, instead of abolishing or executing it, why not improve it by accounting for civil rights violation?
Annotated Bibliography
Broughton, J. Richard. "The Federal Death Penalty, Trumpism, and Civil Rights Enforcement.". American University Law Review, vol. 67, no. 5, 2018, pp. 1611-1645. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/2099845882?accountid=194043/
Broughton offers a unique viewpoint in the death penalty conversation. The author counters the current debate where opposing sides perceive abolition or mandatory executions of capital punishment as the only option in the capital punishment discussion. However, the author suggests an alternative for Congress to improve the capital punishment system by shifting focus to the violations of civil rights when pursuing this form of capital punishment. He concludes that although the system is not perfect and faces criticism, there is still reason to view it as fair, deliberate, informed, and objective.
Published in 2017 by the American University Law, this article is not only current but also credible. Its author, Dr. Broughton, J. Richard, is also a professor of law, and he is reputable for his works in federal criminal and constitutional law. The organization and quality of the author's arguments are exceptional and easy to understand for the reader.
This article is useful in my research project for its unique position on the death penalty controversy. Often, the debate is two-sided, where some propose for the abolition of death row as a form of punishment while others seek its execution. But, this article draws on existing evidence to offer a third viewpoint on capital punishment. Thus, the paper strengthens the arguments in my explanatory synthesis research.
Feser, Edward, and Joseph Bessette. By Man Shall, His Blood Be Shed: A Catholic Defense of the Death Penalty. Ignatius Press, 2017.
The arguments in this book offer a Catholic defense for the debatable topic of death penalty. Feser and Bessette argue that capital punishment is justifiable on three fronts- theological, philosophical, and social science. From a philosophical standpoint, the author concludes that the principle of proportionality justifies death for a person who commits murder. The book further details several Church and scripture teachings of the Bible that defend this practice. Finally, the text includes a social science position of current applications where justice, and nature of the crime are the key themes to justify the issue.
The book is current and includes evidence from both new and old sources because of the nature of its arguments. Its publisher, Ignatius Press, is a renowned and credible source for religious works. Also, the authors support the arguments presented in this literary work with both scientific evidence and non-scientific literature like the Bible.
This book offers three distinct perspectives to incorporate in my synthesis paper...