ENG 1020--RJA #8b Evaluation Check

Yip's english blog -- http://yipenglishblog.blogspot.com/

Tim's english blog -- http://tad19.blogspot.com/

ENG 1020--RJA #8a

Lotts is one of at least 73 U.S. inmates -- most of them minorities -- who were sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison for crimes committed when they were 13 or 14, according to the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization in Alabama that defends indigent defendants and prisoners. Lotts is part of a trend that has developed over the past two decades. Numerous studies have shown that in the 1970s and 1980s, minors were rarely given life sentences, let alone life without parole, experts said. By the early 1990s, according to the Department of Justice, an alarming spike in juvenile homicides spawned a nationwide crackdown, including a movement to try kids in adult courts. (http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/04/08/teens.life.sentence/index.html)

• In today's world, there are a scary number of juveniles serving life sentences without the possibility of parole. This is something that would make a man who died in the 70s scratch his head. During that time juveniles never really recieved harsh capital punishments. "Numerous studies have shown that in the 1970s and 1980s, minors were rarely given life sentences, let alone life without parole, experts said." Even since the start of the 1990s, juveniles started to recieve the harshest penalties America can offer because of the disturbing amount of juvenile homocides which began to sporadically come about. This was highly due to gangs across America.

• Paraphrase-- Over the past four decades, juveniles and capital punishment have came a long way. In the 70s and 80s it was not often that a juvenile was given a life sentence without parole, but now its not uncommon to see a juvenile being tried in an adult court. It happens quite frequently because of a spike in juvenile homocides across the United States.

• Summarize-- There are over seventy inmates in United States prisons serving life sentences without parole for crimes they committed at the age of 13 and 14, one being Quantel Lotts. Lotts is part of a trend of juveniles being sentenced extremely harshly in adult court. This is happening because of a nation wide spike in the 90s of juvenile homocides across America. This is a big change from how it was in the 70s and 80s when it was rare to see a juvenile be sentenced to life without parole.

Internet Research Zakta Project

Luc Arnaud's Zakta Guide

http://zakta.com/zakta/view_1_1099_3087_Juvenile_Life_Sentences

ENG 1020- RJA #7b

http://dickeng1020.blogspot.com/2010/03/rja-6c-httpdickeng1020blogspotcom.html

http://yipenglishblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/rja-6c-field-research-options.html#comment-form

ENG 1020-RJA #7a

Reference Article Evaluation

The reference article from infoplease.dictionary.com seems to be a reliable source. Infoplease.dictionary.com is a valid and reliable website to use because it is affiliated with Pearson Education and I know first hand what a good reliable company they are. The website has a copyright of 2000-2009 so I know that it is fairly up to date. I do not see a particular author who wrote the reference article, which is the only thing that makes me feel on edge about using it in my paper.
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0826826.html

Book Evaluation

Victor L. Streib's book, The Juvenile Death Penalty Today, is a very credible source because Streib is a very credible man. He is a Professor of Law at the University of Northern Ohio is a attorney specializing in violent crime and the death penalty. The book is a little on the older side, being published in the year of 1987 by the Indiana University Press, but most of the information is still up to date when its comes to juveniles and capital crimes.
V.L. Streib. The Juvenile Death Penalty Today. Duke University of Professional Law. 1987.

Periodical Article Evaluation

The periodical article from Jstor titled, The Juvenile Death Penalty and International Law, written by Curtis Bradley, is a very credible source of information simply becasue of where it came from. I have never had any problems with any articles from Jstor. The article was written in late 2002 which means that the information is very trust-worthy and accurate. Anything that comes from Jstor seems to be very credible.
http://www.jstor.org/pss/1373162

Web Site Evaluation

A website I used is called 'policyalmanac.org and I typed in 'life in prison without possibility of release. The excerpt was from Juveniles and the Death Penalty--Coordinating Council on Juvenile Delinquency Prevention-November 2000. This website has solid information about my topic, and it all seems to be on point. It does not say whether its updated frequently but all the information current from at least the year 2000.
http://www.policyalmanac.org/crime/archive/life_imprisonment.shtml

ENG 1020--RJA #6c

Three options for field research on my topic

• video-When Kids get Life. Presented by PBS and Frontline, the story of five prisoners who were sentenced to life in prison without parole for crimes they committed as minors.
• Interview with a prison staff member
• Radio Show debating the ethical issues regarding juvenile life imprisonment and the juvenile death penalty