Microeconomics - 1441 Words

Question 1) With examples give 5 reasons why the study of microeconomics is important. Microeconomics is a field of economic study that focuses on how an individual s behaviour and decisions affect the supply and demand for goods and services. For the purpose of microeconomics, the actions of individuals, households and businesses are crucial, unlike the study of macroeconomics, which focuses on national and international economic trends. Despite the differences between the two fields, however, micro-level trends and the study of microeconomics are considered the basis of modern macroeconomics. Macroeconomics is concerned with the big picture, for example, the national economy and gross domestic product. By contrast, microeconomics is†¦show more content†¦Ceteris Paribus is a Latin phrase that translates approximately to holding other things constant and is usually rendered in English as all other things being equal. In Economics the term â€Å"Ceteris Paribus† is used quite often to assume all other factors to remain the same, while analysing the relat ionship between any two variables. For example, when discussing the laws of supply and demand, one could say that if demand for a given product outweighs supply, ceteris paribus, prices will rise. Here, the use of ceteris paribus is simply saying that as long as all other factors that could affect the outcome such as the existence of a substitute product remain constant, prices will increase in this situation. One of the disciplines in which ceteris paribus are most widely used is economics, in which they are employed to simplify the formulation and description of economic outcomes and the theoretical relationship of cause and effect. When using ceteris paribus in economics, assume all other variables except those under immediate consideration are held constant. For example, it can be predicted that if the price of beef increases, ceteris paribus, the quantity of beef demanded by buyers will decrease. In this example, the clause is used to operationally describe everything surrounding the relationship between both the price and the quantity demanded of an ordinary good. This operational description intentionallyShow MoreRelatedMicroeconomics And Macroeconomics Of Microeconomics1565 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract Economics is an enormous field. The term economics is the broader term, however within this, there are additional fields such as microeconomics and macroeconomics. The difference between microeconomics and macroeconomics is analogous to the human body and the individual cell that makes up the human body. Macroeconomics is involved with the wide lens aspect of society. In other words, macroeconomics focuses on the broader large scale economy of a society. Macroeconomics focuses on largerRead MoreMicroeconomics : The Consumer Perspective1796 Words   |  8 PagesAbstract This paper explores the different subject matters of microeconomics through the consumer perspective. A broad definition of microeconomics is the study of how individuals make decisions in the presence of scarcity (Sullivan, 2011). Microeconomics is affected by the law of supply and demand which is constantly changing by the purchasing power of the consumers and the availability of products. The purchasing power of the consumer is determined by their wants versus their needs, and what theirRead MoreMicroeconomics of Customer Relationships930 Words   |  4 PagesReading: Microeconomics of Customer Relationships â€Æ' Reading: Microeconomics of Customer Relationships The follow is a critique and review of the reading of Microeconomic of Customer Relationships by Fred Reichheld. I will review the article and evaluate Mr. Reachheld. I will also apply economic theories into why and how I came to my conclusions. Overview on the Reading Microeconomic of Customer Relationships by Fred Reichheld is based on a simple survey based customer-relationship metricRead MoreMicroeconomic Theory Essay1757 Words   |  8 PagesRunning head: Module 1 Homework Module 1 Homework Michael J Feller Allied American University Author Note This paper was prepared for ECN 150: Introduction to Microeconomics, Module 1 Homework taught by Dr. Dani Babb. PART I Directions: Please draft a three page long document in APA format in which you address the questions below. You must cite at least three scholarly sources within the context of your work and cite your references according to APARead MoreMicroeconomics in Daily Life1033 Words   |  5 PagesEcon 1 Professor Carter December 12, 2011 Microeconomics In My Daily Life Throughout my life, I have always been reading and hearing about economic issues and concepts, but I never thought about the impacts of economic models on my personal life. Before learning about microeconomic concepts, I always thought that a course in the field of Economics, would teach me theories that only apply to the economy of a nation as a whole and not to an individual’s life. However, there were a lot of conceptsRead MoreMicroeconomics, Macroeconomics, And Macroeconomics1871 Words   |  8 PagesEconomics is made up of two smaller categories microeconomics, and macroeconomics. Microeconomics is more of a smaller scale such as an industry while macroeconomics is on a more national level. It is important to study economics even if you are not a business owner. For example, understanding economics and the market, you could better determine when to buy a house or when to start up a business. In a YouTube video titled â€Å"AP Econ Music Video Microeconomics SPHA† , a group of teenagers worked on a musicRead MoreEssential Graphs for Microeconomics2295 Words   |  10 PagesEssential Graphs for Microeconomics Basic Economic Concepts ( Production Possibilities Curve Nature Functions of Product Markets ( Demand and Supply: Market clearing equilibrium (Floors and Ceilings (Consumer and Producer Surplus (Effect of Taxes Theory of the Firm (Short Run Cost (Long Run Cost Read MoreMicroeconomics Cheat Sheet3925 Words   |  16 PagesMarket Structure | NumberofSellers | TypeofProduct | BarrierstoEntry? | DemandCurve | Profit Maximization Condition | Perfect Competition | Many | Homogenous | No | Horizontal (perfectly elastic) | MR = MC | Monopoly | One | Unique | Yes | Downward Sloping | MR = MC | Monopolistic Competition | Many | Differentiated | No | Downward Sloping | MR = MC | Oligopoly | Few | Homogenous or Differentiated | Yes | Downward Sloping | MR = MC | The natural monopoly may be regulated through price, profitRead MoreManagerial Economics : Microeconomics And Macroeconomics Essay838 Words   |  4 PagesThe purpose of the individual assignment is to read each chapter and then summarize the chapter. The first chapter summarized is chapter one. Managerial Economics uses microeconomics and macroeconomics principals to manage businesses. This analytical approach gives a logical aspect to management. Hopefully with a logical approach using economic theories this will enable managers to maximize managerial decision to increase profits. There are seven forces that can affect long-run profitabilityRead MoreMicroeconomics: The Foundation behind Small Businesses1130 Words   |  5 PagesMicroeconomics: The Foundation behind Small Businesses Small business are said to be the backbone of the United States economy. It said that small businesses contribute to growth and vitality in the specific area of the United States economic development. Small businesses play a huge role in how the business world is shaped. Entrepreneurs are smart, creative and innovative however, those same entrepreneurs need to have some knowledge that the study of microeconomics focuses on. With the study

Scholarly Writing Skill Reflection Essay - 652 Words

Scholarly Writing Skill Reflection University of Phoenix SEM/700R Dr. Kimberly Lowrey Scholarly Writing Skill Reflection One of the most important ideas that occurs to me when I consider my ability to be a successful doctoral student relates to my capacity to write compelling papers that are supported by critical thinking skills and credible sources. In order to ensure that I move forward with a building a good foundation, I must identify my strengths and weaknesses, use resources as a means of support and guidance, and incorporate feedback when trying to improve my output. I believe that if I incorporate these ideas into†¦show more content†¦The resources in the â€Å"New Classroom†, specifically in the â€Å"University Library†, will help me format my work properly and find credible resources to support my writings. The user-friendly format of the â€Å"new classroom† lends itself to helping students feel more capable of achieving. Every resource is easy to find, well-formatted, and relevant. Peer and Facilitator Feedback Another source of support for me will be interaction with my classmates in the â€Å"classroom†, who can help me by sharing their feedback and constructive criticism. I believe in peer interaction because we are probably all like-minded in the way that we want to be better students. To that end, helping each other identify opportunities for growth would be very helpful. As facilitators grade my assignments and provide feedback, I will try to refrain from taking it personally. It is easy to get discouraged as students when we do not receive the grades we expect, but it is even harder in the future if we do not use the criticism as motivation. I will take my criticism, whether good or bad, and turn it into an opportunity to do better. Ultimately, I want to feel like I have grown as a professional, a student, a writer, and a leader when I complete my program. I do not want to look back and see how I got in my own way of success. Instead, I want to look back and marvel at how much I grew and be proud. I feelShow MoreRelatedLessons Learned Paper1448 Words   |  6 Pageseye-openers that revealed development and improvement as a doctoral student. In the last five days, various lessons and experiences were taught and learned but the most important lessons for me include the learning team experiences, scholarly writing, and reflection on the lessons learned. Learning Teams During this residency experience, I acquired a lot about learning teams. In my academic and professional experience, I have been a part of numerous teams. I have had some bad encounters withRead MoreThe Importance Of Professional Writing Throughout A Nurse s Career823 Words   |  4 PagesNurses utilize writing every day in clinical practice, making the attainment of professional writing skills an important goal for students. Scholarly writing is form of communication which exchanges health information amongst professionals and consumers. Professional nursing literature is formatted according to the American Psychological Association (APA) formatting standards. Producing well-written nursing documentation or publications helps nurses enhance their professional respectability alongRead MoreReflection On Personal Reflection1307 Words   |  6 PagesPERSONAL REFLECTION 2 PERSONAL NARRATIVE This assignment seems to be the most difficult to write because it will encompass a wealth of information. The most important part of this assignment is the opportunity to reflect on the course assignments and the impact this foundational base will have for future classes. Every event in life has to start somewhere and this start sets the stage forRead MoreReflection Of My English 1102 Course932 Words   |  4 PagesReflection of my English 1102 course throughout the semester I learned many new things from English 1102 class. It was not much fun but I learned some interesting things. For my research, I needed a topic that interests me. I first started to search topics from the chemistry field. I could not find any interesting topics then I came across an article that talks about how robots will take our jobs and every one would be jobless. After reading that article, I was really convinced that robots were badRead MoreSemester Reflection994 Words   |  4 PagesSemester Reflection As the semester started, I had set my mind that I was destined to achieve a lot. During the start of the semester, I had several difficulties writing English assignments especially in terms of grammar. During the first week of the semester, I sat down, organized my thoughts and comprehended that throughout the semester, I had to achieve all that I had planned for. As a student of English, I had planned that throughout the semester, I had to improve my skills as a scholar, writerRead MoreThe Reflective Essay My Writing Essay1598 Words   |  7 PagesReflective Essay When I was a child, writing was one of my favorite hobbies, so I used to spend many hours to write in my daily journals. However, when I came to America, I felt more difficult to write and express my thoughts in English because I did not know much vocabularies and lacking grammatical knowledge. Then, I decided to go back to school to improve my writing skills because I recognize the significant of writing in my everyday lives. As a college student, my writing are about different types ofRead MoreMy Writing : The Reflective Essay Essay1666 Words   |  7 PagesThe Reflective Essay Writing has been one of my favorite hobbies since I was in high school, so I used to spend many hours to writing in my daily journals in Vietnamese. However, when I came to America, I felt more difficult to write and express my thoughts in English because I did not know much vocabularies and lacking grammatical knowledge. Then, I decided to go back to school to improve my writing skills because I recognize the significance of writing in my everyday lives. As a college studentRead MoreMy First Day Of Class Essay1481 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout my academic career I have always struggled with writing whether it is for the English class or any other liberal arts class. In my English classes, I have a tendency to deviate from the given task. This semester I took a FIQWS Composition class which helped me explore the unexplored areas of my academic writing. There were three main essays (literacy narrative, exploratory essay and critical researched analysis) and each improved my writing tremendously. On the first day of class, I was surprisedRead MoreThe Goals That Were Set For English 1020 Essay1601 Words   |  7 Pagesconfidently move onto future English courses. Writing my first essay in this course was quite difficult. being the first essay I had to write as a freshman in college, I struggled conforming to the new standards that were being set. However, after writing my second essay, it was clear that I was improving greatly. I stop denying the fact that I could get better, I understood that I wasn’t at my best. I used my mistakes from my pervious essays to guide me when writing. In this reflective essay, I will be explainingRead MorePortfolio Writing Review And Reflection893 Words   |  4 PagesPortfolio Writing Review and Reflection When I started this class, I never thought I was a â€Å"good† writer. Ironically, after this class, I have learned how to be an organized writer and the term â€Å"good† is extremely unclear and subjective. From the short stories and questions to the individual essays, each assignment helped me practice and develop my writing skills. Overall, I think my writing has improved and the process of writing, something I often over looked, has immensely helped my writing. My literacy

Human Reasoning John Locke´s An Essay Concerning Human...

John Locke in his prose An Essay Concerning Human Understanding displays an extremely individualistic take on human reason (126). Proposing a perspective that is especially interesting during his time in the 17th century, which catered to a shift towards individual morals and responsibilities - the Puritan movement (Kang). Furthermore, John Locke sees the human mind as a product of one’s own experiences and inherent responsibilities, which is evident not only in his essay, but also in his upbringing (Locke; Spellman). His interest in the human mind positioned him to be the leader search for human understanding, a curiosity followed by many other writers such as Mary Astell and Judith Drake (Black et al.). While the former philosophy is not new to human inquiry as it was likely suppressed due to the anti-religious undertones it tends to convey (Being that we are self-perceived, so perceiving higher than ourselves might be a thing of question rather than fact), it was the shift from conventional to individual morals that allows for Locke’s approach to seem so ideal. The purpose of this essay will be to analyze Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding and determine how individualism is portrayed in this work (Locke). The conclusion is that Locke’s prose indicates that he endorses the idea of individualism through his theory of human understanding and self-acquired knowledge; furthermore, his work played a significant role in the propagation of individual morals during aShow MoreRelatedJohn Locke s Views On Education879 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Locke was a philosopher, doctor and political theorists of the 17th century. He was one of the founders of the school of thought known as British Empiricism. Mr. Locke made foundational contributions to modern theories of limited, liberal government. He was also influential in the areas of theology, religious toleration, and educational theory. During his services at Shaftesbury, John Locke had been writing. He published all of his most significant works within six years of following his returnRead MoreThe Principles Of Empiricism And The Spirit Behind It2295 Words   |  10 PagesCritical Reasoning Essay 3: British Empiricism with particular reference to Locke’s theory of ideas – the basic principles of empiricism and the spirit behind it; Locke’s theory of the origin and types of ideas and the problems it gave rise to. Locke, John, An Essay concerning human understanding, Everyman, 1961: Book 1, of Innate ideas, Book 2, chapter 1, of ideas in general and their original, Berkeley, George, A treatise concerning the principles of human knowledge. Empiricists endorse the ideaRead MoreEssay about The View of Self1177 Words   |  5 Pagesdefine. John Locke, an early modern philosopher, is credited as being the first philosopher to attempt to find the one constant that makes each person the same, from day to day or decade to decade. This essay proposes to explain the principles regarding Lockes Theory of the Self, examine the constant that makes each person the same over a period of time and assess its validity by examining a few arguments against his theory. In An Essay Concerning Human UnderstandingRead MoreLockean Philosophy in Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels3527 Words   |  15 Pageshowever, than when two contemporary authors, such as Locke and Swift, are shaped within the same matrix of cultural forces and events, they reveal through their respective works a similar ideology. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore the parallels between Lockes Some Thoughts Concerning Education and Swifts Gullivers Travels, using textual evidence and literary criticism; and second, to compare the methods prescribed by Locke and Swift for education, taking into account some culturalRead MorePropelling Rational Thought Over Compelling Empiricism1459 Words   |  6 Pagesintend to examine the rationalist philosophy of Rene Descartes and fundamental empiricism of John Locke’s philosophical arguments, in particular their ideas relating to the science of man, his identity and attempt to explain distinctions between the two. A s I lay the framework of my argument it is important to understand the precepts that serve as the underpinning for the views considered by Descartes and Locke respectively. Rationalism and empiricism are two modes of thought that have been adoptedRead MoreEngland Was The Most Powerful Country For A Very Long Time.1524 Words   |  7 Pagestake care of the arsenal group. John Locke s essay concerning human understanding was the start of the enlightenment era and its effects on colonists. Locke s idea was that people are born as blank slates and are a product The great awakening and the enlightenment both started in Europe. They both had different ideas such as the great awakening promoted a passionate and devotion to religion. On n the other hand, the enlightenment encourages the search of reasoning for everything. The Great awakeningRead MoreCharacteristics Of The Enlightenment Period1488 Words   |  6 Pagesexample of this today is how many consider an older individual to be much wiser than someone younger, due to the fact that they have accumulated more knowledge over their lifetime. This sort of thinking comes from the enlightenment period: as a baby, humans do not start out with experience, but as they grow up, they learn more behaviors, morals, and skills which are then applied in their lives. Rationalism is a skill that is used in our day-to -day lives. Little decisions, such as dressing in a raincoatRead MoreAntecedents of Cognitive Psychology1680 Words   |  7 Pages recovered and used.† Antecedents of Cognitive Psychology British Empiricism: Locke, Berkeley, and Hume John Locke (1632-1704) He proposed the theory of knowledge in which he suggested an explanation of how we came to know the world. In his Essay Concerning Human Understanding, he attacked the notion of innate ideas, but rather claimed that all the ideas of human came from experience. He is convinced that human mind can execute two things and that are to receive experiences from the outsideRead MoreJohn Locke : Human Knowledge And Ideas1993 Words   |  8 PagesIn this paper, I want to examine how philosophers, especially John Locke from his book Essay Concerning Human Understanding, understand human knowledge and ideas. We have all had experience of being unsure or mistaken about something: you think it s Wednesday when it is actually Thursday; you wonder whether he was wearing a red shirt or yellow yesterday. Sceptics argue that it is impossible to be certain about anything, arguing that if we can be deceived about such simple things, who can say thatRead MoreA Reflection On Educational Ideas Essay1906 Wo rds   |  8 PagesEnlightenment thinkers John Locke in English and Jean Jacques Rousseau in French wrote foundational texts on educational theory. Both of them laid emphasis on education in children’s early age. Their educational theories affect education not only in their respective period, but also in the modern societies.  However, there are some limitations of their educational theories. The reason I am interested in the Enlightenment is because I have found the writings of Rousseau and Locke are interesting and

Capital Punishment Should be A Essay Example For Students

Capital Punishment Should be A Essay By: John H. Whitehead E-mail: emailprotected John H. Whitehead Professor Roth English 128 Whitehead 1 1 December, 1999 A Moratorium on The Death Penalty Should Be Enacted In Illinois Due to the recent releases of newly exonerated Death Row inmates, individuals and organizations are calling for a moratorium- a cooling off period for state executions. The cases of just a few inmates makes it apparent that this would be a necessary step to save innocent lives. After 17 years in prison, Illinois Death Row inmate Anthony Porter was released from jail after a judge threw out his murder conviction following the introduction of new evidence. This reversal of fortune came just two days before Porter was to be executed. As reported in USA Today, Porters release was the result of investigative research as conducted by a Northwestern University professor and students. The evidence gathered suggested that Porter had been wrongly convicted. Were these new revelations and the subsequent release of Porter a lucky break or a freak occurrence? Not likely, reports DeWayne Wickham, also of USA Today. He points out that since the reinstatement of the death penalty in the United States in 1976, of those sentenced to death, 490 people have been executed while 76 have been freed from Death Row. This calculates into one innocent person being released from Death Row for every six individuals that were executed. This figure correlates with the 1996 U.S. Department of Justice report that indicates that over a 7-year period, beginning in 1989, when DNA evidence in various cases was tested, 26% of primary suspects were exonerated. This has led some to conclude that a similar percentage of inmates presently serving time behind bars may have been wrongly convicted prior to the advent of forensic DNA typing. Whitehead 2 Amnesty International, in its 1998 report Fatal Flaws: Innocence and the Death Penalty, supports the American Bar Associations call for a death penalty moratorium. Michelle Ste vens, a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, reported that in 1998 Illinois State Representative Coy Pugh (D-Chicago) introduced a resolution calling for a bi-partisan panel to study the death penalty in Illinois. During the study all executions would be postponed. This proposal was initially killed but revived following the recent releases. Yet, this call for a moratorium on the death penalty is not the first time that state executions have been opposed. Throughout its history capital punishment has been opposed on many premises. In discussion forums across the world many individuals often cite deterrence of crime as a viable defense of capital punishment. However, comprehensive studies, including the 1994 FBI Uniform crime Report, indicate that capital punishment does not serve as a deterrent to crime. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the death penalty not only does not deter crime- among states that have either abolished or instituted the death penalty crime and m urder rates have remained unchanged. Additionally, Eric Pooley of Time magazine, in his research, reports that no proof exists to substantiate claims that capital punishment discourages crime by anyone other than the criminals whom are executed. Glenn Lammi, of the Washington Legal Foundation is quoted as saying that there are no convincing studies connecting the death penalty and the crime rate. Whitehead 3 In the absence of persuasive studies linking capital punishment and crime rates, who better to turn to than the individuals who walk the thin blue line- law enforcement officials may be better equipped to address this subject. Time magazine reports that 67% of polled police chiefs also did not believe that the death penalty deters crime such as homicide. According to a 1994 Government Accounting Office report (GAO) substantial evidence indicates that courts have been unfair in death sentencing. The 1990 GAO report, summarizing numerous capital punishment studies, confirmed a con sistent pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities in the charging, sentencing, and imposition of the death penalty. The GAO also revealed that those who murdered whites were more likely to be sentenced to Death Row than those who murdered blacks. According to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) nearly 40% of those executed since 1976 have been black although blacks only comprise 12% of the U.S. population. And in just about every death penalty case, the race of the victim was white. The DPIC goes on to report that in the previous year, 89% of the death sentences involved victims whom were white. U.S News and World Report writer Ted Gest reinforces his concept. He writes that on Death Row race really does matter. He points out that on Death Row whites and minorities are represented roughly equally. The disparity in allocation of the death penalty preempted the American Bar Association, in its 1997 article The Task Ahead; Reconciling Justice with Politics, to call for jurisdictions that exercise capital punishment to refrain from its use until fairness Whitehead 4 and due process could be assured. The ABA further called for the examination of procedures and practices for each state. State and federal justices have also spoken out against capital punishment according to Jack Callahan of the Rochester Institute of Technology. To point out an instance, Callahan cites U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun as declaring that he henceforth opposes the death penalty on the bases of the failure of the death penalty experiment. Blackmun, is further cited to state that the potential execution of an innocent individual comes perilously to simple murder. Justice Clarence Thomas is cited as having stated that the possibility of perjured testimonymistaken testimony and human error remain all to real. We have no way of judging how many innocent people have been executed but we can be certain that there were some. The United Nations, during an April 3rd 1997 press briefing, announced that its Commission on Human Rights had voted overwhelmingly to abolish the death penalty. The resolution called on member states that still maintained the death penalty to restrict the number of offenses for which the death penalty could be imposed and to consider abolishing executions completely. This opposition to the death penalty intertwined with new revelations all highlights the fact that innocent people are being wrongly sent to Death Row. I had, said he, come to an entirely erroneous conclusion which allow, my dear Watson, how dangerous is always is to reason from insufficient data. Said Sherlock Holmes in Arthur Conan Doyles The Adventures of the Speckled Band. Whitehead 5 Since the 1976 reinstatement of the death penalty in the United States, 490 people have been executed while 76 have been freed from Death Row, DeWayne Wickham of USA Today points out. The Death Penalty Information Centers 1997 report on Innocence and the Death Penalty attributes these releases to scientific advancements such as DNA testing and journalistic investigations. Numerous factors such as overzealous prosecutors, deliberate actions of police, inadequate counsel, convictions based solely upon questionable eyewitness reports, laboratory error and unreliable evidence have all resulted in innocent individuals being sent to Death Row. This strengthens the call for a death penalty moratorium in Illinois. Inadequate counsel is a major contributing factor that has landed the innocent on Death Row, according to Ted Gest of the US News and World Report. According to Gest courts in southern states, the location of most American executions, are only able to find poorly paid lawyers for many defendants. Attorneys diligent enough to input 500-1000 hours in a death penalty case must often work well below minimum wage. According to Amnesty International, the average salary of court appointed lawyers was $11.70 per hour. The 1996 National Institute of Justice also cites inadequate counsel, specifically in failing to consult competent scientific experts, as a contributing factor to the dilemma of individuals being false sentenced to Death Row. Whitehead 6 According to the National Institute of Justice, prior to the advent of DNA typing courts were forced to rely on less reliable types of evidence such as blood typing and eyewitness accounts. Blood typing, it is reported by the National Institute of Justice, has oftentimes yielded completely erroneous results. This logically indicates the possibility that individuals may have been erroneously convicted based upon this evidence. According to the National Institute of Justice 1996 report, courts relying solely upon eyewitness accounts wrongly convicted individuals in 28 documented cases. DNA evidence later cleared these individuals. In this report, Supreme Court Justice Brennen in the United States vs. Wade, 12 was quoted as saying that The vagaries of eyewitness identification are well known; th e annals of criminal law are rife with instances of mistaken identification. Dr. Elizabeth Loftus, a noted critic of the reliability of eyewitness testimony noted that witnesses are susceptible to intentional or unintentional suggestions from police. She explains that there is pressure on the part of witnesses to see the crime solved. This susceptibility may contribute to false eyewitness identifications. In assessing physical evidence, the National Institute of Justice indicated that the common practice of blood typing, as the primary source of indicating guilt, is faulty in its unreliability. The deterioration of the genetic material in blood typing procedures could yield completely erroneous results. This logically implicates the possibility that individuals may have been erroneously convicted based upon this form of evidence. In cases where new DNA forensic was tested, 26% of primary suspects in similar cases Whitehead 7 were exonerated. This has led some to conclude that a simi lar percentage of inmates many have been wrongly convicted prior to the advent of forensic DNA typing. DNA testing, though a conduit for exoneration in these cases has also been challenged and the courts in at least one case have been refused to admit analyzed laboratory results because the lab failed to reveal its testing methods. Such an omission can prevent replication of the results and may result in an innocent person being wrongly convicted. The deliberate misconduct of the prosecutors scientific experts has been an issue in a number of cases in which formerly convicted individuals were later exonerated. The NIJ reported that the West Virginian Supreme Court indicted Fred Zain, a forensic scientist for perjury. This following his failure to disclose information relating to the high unliklihood that fluid samples could have come from the defendant. The subsequent investigation resulted in the courts declaring Zains testimony, in more than 130 cases inadmissible. Technical issue s aside, the violence and barbarity of executions is considered by some as a justification to end capital punishment. Some American states continue to utilize such methods as death by electrocution, hanging, gas chambers and firing squads. Many question the humanity of these procedures. Lets take a look at exactly what most execution methods entail. Hanging, a method of execution that dates back to the American colonial times, is described in the official hanging protocol as developed for the state of Delaware (Execution by Hanging, 1990).The official procedure for handing involves the inmate being dropped a distance Whitehead 8 and being stopped by a rope fasten around the neck, the force of this drop-and-stop method breaks the bones of the neck, thus severing the spinal cord. This causes the inmate to become unconscious, and at this point, strangle to death due to lack of oxygen. The individual should be brain dead within six minutes and heart dead in about eight. The report indic ates that the individual may experience pain-briefly. However, an error in the hanging procedure could possibly result in instances where the spinal cord is not severed and the inmate is conscious during strangulation. A drop of too far a distance will result in the decapitation of the subject. In gas chamber executions, a cyanide pellet is placed in a container below the inmates seat. A switch is thrown and the cyanide reacting with a sulfuric acid solution releases lethal gas. The inmate is denied air and thus suffocates. The time that elapses from the time that the prisoner is restrained to death is about 38 minutes, though it is believed that death occurs 6-18 minutes after the gas is released. According to the 1997 sate of Florida Corrections Commissions Annual Report Michael Radelet, chairman of the University of Florida sociology department has documented 22 cases where executions have been botched. For example, officials in Mississippi were forced to clear the room eight min utes into the execution of Jimmy Lee Gray after his desperate gasps for air repulsed witnesses. David Bruck, a writer for the New Republic, reported that Lee died banging his head against a steel pole in the gas chamber-while reporters counted his moans. Whitehead 9 Also documented is the case of John Evans. According to Radelet, after the first jolt of electricity, sparks and flames shot from the electrodes that were attached to Evans leg. The electrode then caught fire. Smoke and sparks shot from underneath the hood that was attached to his head. Soon, Evans flesh began to smoke and burn. Doctors rushed in, discovered a heartbeat and applied additional jolts. This continued for an additional 14 minutes despite the pleas of Evans attorney. Lethal injection heralded by some as a more humane method of execution also has its share of problems. It was reported by Michael Radelet that in a 1989 Texas execution, inmate Stephen McCoy had such a violent reaction to the drugs (i.e. heaving, coughing, gasping) that a male witness fainted- crashing into and knocking over another witness. In Texas, December 1988, Raymond Landry was pronounced dead 40 minutes after being strapped to the table. Two minutes into his execution the syringe came out of his vein spraying deadly chemicals across the room towards the witnesses of the execution. The U.S. Court of Appeals in 1983 made the observation that Lethal injection poses a serious risk of cruel, protracted deatheven a slight error of dosage or administration can leave a prisoner conscious but paralyzed while dyinga sentient witness to his or her own asphyxiation. Many individuals in defense of the death penalty give the argument that a life sentence as compared to execution is a waste of taxpayer money. However, numerous studies have shown that the cost of execution far exceeds the cost of life imprisonment. Whitehead 10 In The Geography of ExecutionThe Capital Punishment Quagmire in America it is reported that Florida estim ates the total cost of an average life in prison of 40 years to cost $680,000, far less than the #3.18 million average cost of a single execution. These figure correlate with those of Texas, the nations leader in executions, according to Department of Justice figures. In Punishment and the Death Penalty the Texas criminal justice system estimated the cost of appeal capital murder at 2.3 million dollars. The cost of life in prison totals only $750,000. Clearly, state executions are not cost effective. When given concrete figures the publics support of capital punishment diminishes. A 1994 Gallup poll asked that if given a choice, which would be a better choice-, the death penalty or life in prison without parole? Support for the death penalty (80%) dripped to 50% according to the 1995 Bureau of Justice Statistics Report. In conclusion, all of the above arguments support a death penalty moratorium in Illinois. The most common argument in favor of the death penalty is that it deters cr ime. This simply is not true. Law enforcement officials, the very individuals that deal with crime on a daily basis, doubt the deterrent effect of capital punishment. Considerable evidence indicates that racial disparities exist in the allocation of death sentences with blacks receiving a disproportionate amount of death sentences as compared to their white counterparts. Organizations such as the American Bar Association and individuals such as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas have spoken out in opposition to the death penalty. The UN has adopted a worldwide resolution calling for an eventual end to state executions. From Anthony Porter to dozens more released from Death Row since its Whitehead 11 reinstatement, there exists significant possibilities that there are individuals innocent of their accused crimes sitting on Death Row. Journalistic investigations have proven this possibility and DNA evidence has furthered cleared those previously convicted. An overwhelming number of factors including, overzealous prosecutors, inadequate defense counsel, the unreliability of evidence, the cost ineffectiveness of executions, the sheer brutality of executions and the decline of public support for state execution when presented with other options, all warrant at least a temporary halt to executions to allow time for these issue to be addressed. As members of a collective American society, we are all affected by a judicial system that though designed to protect the weak and innocent, sends these very same individuals to their deaths. It must become our quest to see that true justice is at least addressed. Yesterday, Anthony Porter was almost sent to his death. Today, it may be someone you barely know. However, tomorrow it may be you or I. This call for a moratorium in Illinois is a call for justice. Thomas Jefferson once wrote Truth is the handmaid of justice, freedom is its child, peace is its companion, safety walks in its steps, victory follows in its train; it is the brightest emanation from the gospel; it is the attribute of God. These words written over a century ago still ring true today. Lets take the time to take a look at justice. Whitehead 12 Bibliography Works Cited United States. U.S. Government Accounting Office. Capital Punishment. Washington: GPO, 1994 Cheatwood, Derral and Keith Harries. The Geography of Execution: The Capital Punishment Quagmire in America. Rowman, 1996 NAACP Legal Defense Fund . Death Row. New York: Hein, 1996 Ex-Death Row Inmate Cleared of Charges. USA Today 11 Mar. 1999: 2A Fatal Flaws: Innocence and the Death Penalty. Amnesty International. 10 Oct. 1999 23 Oct. 1999 Gest, Ted. House Without a Blue Print. US News and World Report 8 Jul. 1996: 41 Stevens, Michelle. Unfairness in Life and Death. Chicago Sun-Times 7 Feb. 1999: 23A American Bar Association. The Task Ahead: Reconciling Justice with Politics. 1997 United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Uniform Crime Report. Washington: GPO, 1994 Wickha m, DeWayne. Call for a Death Penalty Moratorium. USA Today 8 Feb. 1999: 17A ILKMURPHY Word Count: 2871 Amazon Rainforest Essay