Capital Punishment Essays (2709 words) - Sentencing,

Capital Punishment Putting to death people who have been judge to have committed certain extremely heinous crimes is a practice of ancient standing. But in the United States, in the latter half of the twentieth century, it has become a very controversial issue. Changing views on this difficult issue led the Supreme Court to abolish capital punishment in 1972 but later turned to uphold it again in 1977, with certain conditions. Indeed, restoring capital punishment is the will of the people, yet many voices have been raised against it. Heated public debate have centered on questions of deterrence, public safety, sentencing equality, and the execution of innocents, among others. One argument states that the death penalty does not deter murder. Dismissing capital punishment on that basis would require us to eliminate all prisons as well because they do not seem to be any more effective in the deterrence of crime. Others say that states which have the death penalty have higher crime rates than those that do not. And that a more sever punishment only inspires more sever crimes. But every state in the union is different. These differences include population, the number of cities, and the crime rate. Urbanized states are more likely to have higher crime rates than states that are more rural. The state that have capital punishment have it because of their high crime rate, not the other way around. In 1985, a study was published by economist Stephen K. Layson, at the University of North Carolina, that showed that every execution of a murderer deters, on average of 18 murders. The study also showed that raising the number of death sentences by only one percent would prevent 105 murders. However, only 38 percent of all murder cases result in a death sentence, and of those, only 0.1 percent are actually executed. During the temporary suspension on capital punishment from 1972 - 1976, researchers gathered murder statistics across the country. Researcher Karl Spence of Texas A&M University came up with these statistics, in 1960, there were 56 executions in the United States and 9,140 murders. By 1964, when there were only 15 executions, the number of murders had risen to 9,250. In 1969, there were no executions and 14,590 murders, and 1975, after six years without executions, 20,510 murders occurred. So the number of murders grew as the number of executions shrank. Spence said: While some [death penalty] abolitionists try to face down the results of their disastrous experiment and still argue to the contrary, the...[data] concludes that a substantial deterrent effect has been observed...In six months, more Americans are murdered than have been killed by execution in this entire century...Until we begin to fight crime in earnest [by using the death penalty], every person who dies at a criminals hands is a victim of our inaction. And in Texas, the highest murder rate in Houston (Harris County) occurred in 1981 with 701 murders. Since Texas reinstated the death penalty in 1982, Harris County has executed more murderers than any other city or state in the union and has seen the greatest reduction in murder from 701 in 1981 down to 261 in 1996 - a 63% reduction, representing a 270% differential. Also, in the 1920s and 30s, death penalty advocates were known to refer to England as a means of proving capital punishments deterrent effect. Back then, at least 120 murderers were executed every year in the United States and sometimes the number reached 200. Even then, England used the death penalty far more consistently than we did and their overall murder rate was smaller than any one of our major cities at the time. Now, since England abolished capital punishment about thirty years ago, the murder rate has subsequently doubled there and 75 English citizens have been murdered by released killers. Abolitionists will claim that most studies show that the death penalty has no effect on the murder rate at all. But thats only because those studies have been focused on inconsistent executions. Capital punishment, like all other applications, must be used consistently in the United States for decades, so abolitionists have been able to establish the delusion that it does not deter at all to rationalize their fallacious arguments. But the evidence shows that whenever capital punishment is applied consistently or against a small murder rate it has always been followed by a decrease in murder. There is not an example on how the death penalty has failed to reduce the murder rate under those conditions. So capital punishment is very capable

Essays on Curriculum Development Essays

Essays on Curriculum Development Essays Essays on Curriculum Development Essay Essays on Curriculum Development Essay I will critically analyse and evaluate Functional skills English and GCSE English [N2] [N3]You should start by providing a definition of curriculum have a look in the study guide  The Functional Skills curriculum develops practical skills in English. It is a new qualification available to all learners aged 14 and above. Functional Skills English is not just about knowledge in English, it is about knowing when and how to use the knowledge in real life situations. Functional Skills English involves taking separate tests in speaking and listening, reading and writing which will give you a qualification if you pass them, giving you skills for life in english. They will also count towards other qualifications, including Diplomas and Apprenticeships, these are available in schools, colleges, training providers and the workplace. Functional Skills English is now part of the secondary school curriculum and is currently being piloted in a three-year scheme since 2010 along side GCSEs. During this time, the qualifications are being offered on their own at Entry Level, Level 1 and Level 2 on the National Qualifications Framework. Functional skills may be linked to the ideology of Progressivism, meeting individuals needs and aspirations so as to support their personal growth and strengthen a democratic society. This approach developed by John Dewey in the earlier 20th century was based around active problem solving in a variety of social contexts and encouraging people to learn how to think for themselves, make decisions and participate in a democratic society which now days would be the use of functional skills. (www.wakeypedia.org.uk)[N4]  Functional skills in practical terms explains that at level 2 in English, students are able to write something with accurate grammar, punctuation and spelling, and where the meaning is clear. GCSEs are the main qualification taken by 14 to 16 year olds in the UK, but are available to anyone who would like to study a subject that interests them. You can take GCSEs in a wide range of academic and work-related subjects. GCSE stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education. Its highly valued by schools, colleges and employers, so will be useful whatever you are planning to do in the future. The GCSE curriculum may be linked to the ideology of Instrumentalism: having an highly skilled and educated workforce that will meet the needs of international competition and values high levels of literacy. The instrumental curriculum sees knowledge in factual terms and is clearly lecturer/teacher/trainer led. Through this method students are prepared for the workplace and society in general. In relation to school leavers, having a GCSE in english to seek employment once leaving school is deemed as the norm. GCSEs are usually studied full-time at school or college, taking five terms to complete. A percentage of their final grade will be from course work produce as a portfolio.  For an English GCSE you must take an exam in English literature and an exam in English language, there is a choice of two tiers: higher or foundation. Each tier leads to a different range of grades. Your subject teacher normally decides which tier is best for you.  GCSEs were revised, so that from 2010, they are supposed to test thoroughly functional skills. If students fail to achieve level 2 in this test, they can not exceed a grade D at GCSE. If English GCSEs are not about functional skills, then what are they about? If students can pass English GCSE without being able to write clearly, such as writing a letter, or if they can pass Maths without being able to do everyday applied maths tasks such as working out their family budget then the curriculum has no validity. [N5](www.news.bbc.co.uk) states Mike Baker.  The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority began defining functional skills, producing a 52-page booklet intended as a helpful guide to the new tests. This explains that the level of functional skills will depend on the complexity of situations and activities, the technical demand associated with those activities, a learners level of familiarity with the task, and the level of independence with which they can complete the task.([N6]www.news.bbc.co.uk) So pupils can still get their GCSEs without passing a functional skills test first. Can we be sure that, from 2010, achieving a grade C in English or Maths GCSE will prove a student is functionally literate or numerate.  It will be interesting to see how many students getting Cs or above at GCSE also pass the functional skills level 2 tests which is deemed to be equivalent to a grade A-C GCSE. Without passing this test they would not be able to gain a grade C in these exams. If students can pass English GCSE without being able to write clearly, surely something is wrong. Mike Baker (2009)  FEEDBACK: These last few paragraphs read like a conclusion. However, although this is interesting you havent made it relevant to the task. Your conclusion needs to sum up what you did in the essay and what you discovered and briefly state any opinions, such as, which curriculum you think is better.