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APA
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Social Sciences
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Topic:

Critical Thinking on Deceptive Statistics Assignment

Coursework Instructions:

"Identifying Misleading Information in an Argument" Please respond to the following:
Consider the following argument: There are many arguments for the elimination or modification of current U. S. drug laws, but one of the most persuasive involves what negative effects drug laws are having on society in comparison with the effects of the drugs themselves. In the past ten years, most forms of drug use have dropped significantly, especially among teens. Despite this, non-violent drug offenders accounted for 21.1 percent of the federal prison population. First time drug offenders serve, on average, a sentence three months longer than kidnappers, nine months longer than burglars, and thirty-three months longer than sex abusers. In 1992, the average cost of keeping an inmate in either state or federal prison was about $20,000 per prisoner per year. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with 455 prisoners per 100,000 population. It is maintaining these prisoners at great expense in an environment where they are unlikely to develop a socially constructive attitude. Perhaps it is time that we reconsider our attitudes toward those who choose to use drugs; failure to do so may cost society even more than it already has. 
Determine whether or not the argument uses any deceptive statistics. Give your opinion on whether or not the argument has persuaded you. Explain why or why not.
Determine the primary ways in which statistics or authority are used in your current position in developing persuasive arguments, and provide examples of such use.

Coursework Sample Content Preview:

Critical Thinking
Name
Institution
Critical Thinking
There are some deceptive statistics or authority used in the argument. For example, the argument declares that non-violent offenders account for 2.1 percent of the entire federal population. This statistics seem to be given with complete surety rather than making an estimation making it flawed since statistics cannot be guaranteed to be true. However, the argument has persuaded me because after making the claim, the author has used a series of points that back up the main argument. The author has used statistics to make the argument more believable and convincing. The argument is persuasive because it has used cause and effect to show how drug laws fail and effects of these failures. For example, the author states that failed drug laws had led to the explosion of the prison population. Finally, the ...
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