Peer Review

Witness to an Execution

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Overview:: Witness to an Execution tells the stories of the men and women involved with the execution of deathrow inmates at the Walls Unit in Huntsville, Texas. Narrated by Warden Jim Willett, who oversees all Texas executions, Witness to an Execution documents, in minute-by-minute detail, the process of carrying out an execution by lethal injection. Most of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice employees interviewed have witnessed over one hundred inmates be put to death. One-third of all executions in the US have taken place in Texas, since the death penalty was reinstated in 1977.
Type of Material:: Case Study (audio documentary)
Recommended Uses:: In-class for lecture/discussion support, as material used to initiate group activities in the classroom, and homework as research material.
Technical Requirements:: Used Google Chrome and had no problems. The audio is available in MP3 format.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: The student will learn about the thoughts and feelings of prison personnel who have witnessed numerous executions of inmates. The student will also learn exactly what happens in the final hours and minutes when an inmate is executed.
Target Student Population:: Undergraduate student in criminal justice. Most appropriate for Corrections class or class on criminal justice ethics.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: None.

Rating:
Strengths:: Witness to an Execution is a case study (documentary) that presents the views, opinions, and perspectives of people who have participated in or witnessed executions carried out by the Texas department of Criminal Justice. The audio presentation is clear and easy to understand and provides the views, opinions, and perspectives of current and former Texas department of Criminal Justice employees well. The case study (documentary) also includes a transcript of the audio presentation. It grabs the listener’s attention right from the beginning and presents a side of executions that students do not normally hear about.
Concerns:: The piece is over 10 years old, which makes me question if it is current enough. Research/scholarship is not mentioned; however, there is educational value in this audio piece.

Rating:
Strengths:: Witness to an Execution is a case study (documentary) that can be used by educators and students in many different ways which do not necessarily need to be supported by other material or preparatory sessions. The material presented in the audio presentation is clear and easy to understand and can be applied to a variety of learning opportunities. This would be a good tool to get students started in writing about their feelings about capital punishment, or to begin a class discussion.
Concerns:: The case study (documentary) is a 22:20 minute file that presents the views, opinions, and perspectives of Texas Department of criminal Justice staff who participated in or witnessed executions. There is not direct association with educational concepts or theories but can be if the educators who uses the material properly sets the stage of its use 9and value to the learning experience). Learning objectives and prerequisite knowledge were not identified, but the module leaves creativity about its use up to the instructor.

Rating:
Strengths:: The module was very easy to use, sound quality was good, and it engaged me right from the beginning. I think students would enjoy listening to this.
Concerns:: I would have liked to have some video portion or some visual enhancement to use while the audio was playing. The audio is not interactive, except for the fact that the listener can pause it at any time.

Other Issues and Comments:: Witness to an Execution was developed and produced by Sound Portraits Production (SoundPortraits.org). While Sound Portraits Productions is no longer an active organization, material produced is available via StoryCorps. Sound Portraits Productions was first established as a not-for-profit 501(c)3 corporation in 1994 by MacArthur Fellow David Isay. Sound Portraits Productions was an independent production company dedicated to telling stories that bring neglected American voices to a national audience. Sound Portraits' radio documentaries (broadcast on NPR's All Things Considered and Weekend Edition) are audio profiles of men and women surviving in the margins. The documentaries depicts the lives of Americans living in communities often neglected or misunderstood. Sound Portraits frequently collaborates with people living in these hard-to-access corners of America, giving them tape recorders and microphones and helping them tell their own stories. A CD of Witness to an Execution is available from several sources. The material used to produce Witness of an Execution is from 2000 and even though the material is more than 10 years old it is useful as an educational tool or to support educational activities.
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