3 pages in length. NO more than 3 pages, NO less than 3 pages. You will lose points if you go over 3
pages of text.
– times new roman font, double spaced, font size 12, 1 inch margins all sides. No need for a title
page; include page numbers. Just put your name at the top. no need for a title or the date or
anything else. Literally just your name. you don’t need a reference page unless you cite something
other than the “Eligible for Execution” book. If you use a reference page, it can be your 4th page.
– Objective: Read the Walker book “Eligible for Execution: The Story of the Daryl Atkins Case” and
write a 3 page paper based on the information below.
-NOTE: This is not a book report. Do not summarize the book. In other words, you will assume I
have read it.
Analysis (write on the following for 3 pages). Organize your paper into specific sections that
correspond to the below items.
Pick one major decision made by any attorney in the Daryl Atkins case. (do not pick a decision
made by any judge or justice).
1. identify the decision you picked and explain why it was important. Note, to be a decision, there
must be a legitimate alternative that the attorney decided not to pursue.
2. describe who else was involved
3. explain what dilemma(s) the attorney faced and dilemmas of any other actors involved
4. what were the advantages and disadvantages of the choice they made.
5. Did they make a good or bad decision? Explain. Be sure to define what criteria you use to
evaluate a good or bad decision and it can’t be based on the outcome! (i.e., your criteria must be
known to the lawyer *before* the decision was made).
6. What types of information did the decision maker(s) incorporate into their decisions?
Historical information or past experiences, statistics, probability of likely outcome, etc…?
7. How might a counter-factual situation played out differently and its implications? (i.e., if they
made a different choice, explain what you think might happen and why).
For all of the above, be sure to provide examples with appropriate page references to support your
answer. When citing pages numbers, just use this format “(pg. 45).”
Grading: in addition to grading based on the content, you will also be evaluated based on writing. If
there are more than 2 grammatical errors or typos on a page, you will lose 10 percent. If the paper
is egregiously bad- more than 5 errors on a page, then you will lose 20 percent.
