Question 1: Death penalty cases. (Answer questions for either 2 movies under).

Instructions

Watch the 48 Hours Video, A Grave Injustice available on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbWGgQoBB4A

Watch the PBS Special, A Death By Fire available at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/death-by-f…

Answer the following questions for either movie:

1.) What were the charges against the main individual in the movie you watched and what evidence did they have on him?

2.) Identify three problems with the state’s case against the individual in the movie you watched? Why are they problems?

3.) Why did the jury convict the individual in the movie? Give two reasons to support your thoughts.

4.) How did your thinking change in the case? Why? Give two reasons to support your opinion.

Question 2: (Answer questions for 300 words or so)

Many states are reexamining their prison systems. One area of change is examining the use of solitary confinement for young people the other is examining the role of prisons in society. Watch either Solitary (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/solitary-n…) Nation and answer the following questions in 300 words or so.

Questions:

• What is the main point of the film that you watched?
• What role should the prison systems serve in Texas/United States? Are they serving this role?
• What are problems with the prison systems in the United States/Texas? What happens when inmates get out? Why do they end up going back?

Question 3: Prisons in Texas. (choose one article and summary 400 words)

The Texas judicial system has been under fire for many years for problems. One of the issues has been for the state of prisons. No prison facility in the state has air conditioning and health care or other factors may suffer. This issue blew up in South Texas at a privately controlled prison, in which inmates rioted and tore the facility up.

Read one of the following articles and summarize it for your peers. Discuss the key points that they would need to know about prisons in Texas. I have picked some good ones. They are hyper linked below.

• The Wilacy County Prison Riot https://www.thenation.com/article/the-true-story-of-a-texas-prison-riot/
• Air Conditioning in Texas Prison http://www.npr.org/2016/09/12/493608371/with-no-air-conditioning-texas-prisoners-live-in-cruel-conditions-suit-alleges
• Prison overcrowding – http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Inmates-transferred-jails-overcrowded-7251977.php
• Prison Reform – http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Dunklee-and-Larson-Setting-the-record-straight-6429547.php
• Last Meals for Death Row Inmates https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/23/texas-execution-ends-final-meal
• Should juviniles get life in prison? http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/life-prison-juvenile-offenders-adult-courts/story?id=11129594
• College / Education for Texas Inmates https://www.texastribune.org/2016/06/29/thousands-texas-inmates-will-get-federal-aid-earn-/

For full credit, your response / summary should be about 400 words.