Assignment 2

The struggle to abolish the death penalty in the United States has been long, yet it still has the support of people and the movement continues today because of how the issue has been framed. Supporters against the death penalty have framed the issue around the value of a human life but we also have to look at other types of frames that have made the movement progress through time. According to Snow and Benford (1998) there are three types of framing necessary for the death penalty movement to be successful and they are diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational framing. Supporters of the death penalty have framed the issue diaognostically. They have gained the support and recruited others by convincing them that death penalty needs to be addressed because it’s immoral, unreliable, and cruel and unusual. Supporters of the movement have also framed the issue prognostically by targeting the laws and policies, politicians, states that carry out executions, and others. The movement also has tactics and strategies such as mobilizing their supporters by conducting rallies and protests all over the United States when their voice needs to be herd. Last, the movement has framed the problem motivationally. Supporters of the movement motivate groups to carry out demonstrations when state laws change, or when individual are going to be executed, or when they need to be herd; such as during election time.

In comparison to the death penalty movement the frame of the pro-life movement has similarities and differences. One such similarity is that it’s also framed around the value of life. The pro-life movement holds ground that procedures and actions such as abortions and contraceptives are unethical and cruel. In addition the movement targets the judicial systems, politicians, and states that allow abortions. The movement also tries to motivate individuals to carry out protest in efforts to make abortions illegal and to deny minors access to such things like contraceptives without parent permission. There are great similarities between the death penalty and pro-life movement but there are small differences in frame. One of those differences is that pro-life is more radical, they are not just opposed to abortion they are also opposed to anything that may hinder the ability for a human life to flourish. In comparison, opponents of the death penalty are not against life in prison, rehabilitation, or other methods of a prisoner carrying out his/her sentence.

Another movement we can compare in frame to the death penalty movement is the environmental movement. One of the similarities is that they are both framed around protecting individuals but in a larger perspective through the protection of the environment. Both movements target to change laws and policies. They gain support through protests and focus on ethical problems. Another similarity is that movement has incredible mobility not just in the United States but around the world. One of the differences in frame is that the environmental movement is more radical. The movement has shifted, supporters are not just interested in protecting the wild life, preserving the countryside, or buildings; they are now looking to make changes in “growing threats to the environment and the exhaustion of materials…” and among other aspects that in the environment through violent protests such as the one in “the opening of the Tokyo airport (Goodwin & Jasper 75, 82).” Another difference is that most people who join the movement are already aware of the problem that exists in the environment. In comparison, the movement against the death penalty has always had a clear focus and that is to abolish the death penalty.

By comparing and contrasting the death penalty movement to other social movements we are able to learn the importance that it serves in society and how the movement has progressed. Unlike some social movements the movement to abolish the death penalty has no recognizable face like Rosa Parks or Cindy Sheehan but what it does have are organization such as the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty who have made it possible for the movement to progress through time. These and other organizations carry out protests, have websites supporting the abolition of the death penalty, and have continually worked in creating a framework for recruiting and retention as mentioned above. Some of the main supporters of the movement against the death penalty are the Catholic Church, minorities in their 30’s, lower middle class, and men and women alike. Even though there are many intersectionalities present in the movement such as gender, age, and race people still come together for the cause of protecting a human life. Some of the problems that these intersectionalities may present is when to protest and how aggresive they need to be depending on the issue at hand. One of the problems with having a diverse group is that some people may be excluded such as Caucasian since the mojority of individuals who are executed are predominatly African American and Hispanics. The only to insure for the movement to be more inclusive is to reach out to all ethnicities, genders, socioeconomic classes, and to as many people as possible to join the fight against the death penalty.