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Peer Review

Learning About the Death Penalty

Reviewed:
Dec 11, 2008 by Criminal Justice
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Ratings

Overall Rating: 4.2 stars
Content Quality: 4.0 stars
Effectiveness: 4.2 stars
Ease of Use: 4.5 stars
Overview:
This page claims to be “designed as a tool for learning.” It also claims to “provide information that empowers site visitors who are interested in reviewing, and critically thinking, about the issues.” It is however a very one sided collection of anti-death penalty information. The first page openly states: “This site is an example of the effort to sway opinion. We are opposed to the death penalty and believe that those who take the time to understand the issues will join us in speaking out to end the death penalty.” This is a sub page of the author's main site, justicepolicy.com, where other controversial issues are presented in a similar manner. However, the website provides an opportunity to think critically about the death penalty and issues regarding its use in the U.S.
Type of Material:
Reference
Recommended Uses:
Individual Assignment for homework or in class.
Technical Requirements:
Browser
Identify Major Learning Goals:
• Identify arguments against the death penalty • Summarize research data that supports abolition of the death penalty. • Present arguments likely to sway others to work against the death penalty
Target Student Population:
Undergraduates and general population
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Introduction to Death Penalty

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:
Site is logically organized and easily navigated with a great deal of information. It is also very well written.
Concerns:
• This site presents only one side of the issue. • The site is a collection of writings by one person with no peer review. • The site claims to promote critical thinking, but the only balance in the material presented is a link to Google and advice to search there for “Pro Death Penalty Sites.”

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:
This site presents anti-death penalty information from a variety of sources and from legal, social, and ethical perspectives. It also provides excellent questions to stimulate discussion.
Concerns:
The author claims to advise readers on how to sway others to advocate against the death penalty, but does not present any of the strongest pro-death penalty arguments for readers to examine and critique.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:
• The site is easy to navigate and clear in its purpose of presenting one side of the issue. • This work is shared under a Creative Commons License. • It is visually appealing and well organized
Concerns:
• Several of the Death Penalty Advocacy links are inoperative. • The ACLU link is inoperative. • The link to the Educational Curriculum on the Death Penalty is inoperative. • The link to the Justice Project is inoperative.
Other Issues and Comments:
None
Creative Commons:
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