How to Plan a Capital Punishment Presentation on Texas: Slide-by-Slide Guide
To plan a capital punishment presentation on Texas, build it as a timeline with one argument running through it: how law, method, and evidence changed from the 1920s onward, and what that evidence does and does not prove. Choose your sources first (official execution records, Supreme Court opinions, a death penalty research center), then give each slide one claim and put the explanation in the speaker notes.
If you would rather have the slides and notes built for you, our PowerPoint presentation service is one option. Everything below works if you prefer to do it yourself.
What the assessment is really asking
The Texas capital punishment PowerPoint brief asks for far more than a history lesson. It wants a PowerPoint with detailed speaker notes, at least 20 content slides, and at least seven outside sources, mostly peer-reviewed, in APA style with a reference slide. Nine topic areas sit inside that: Texas executions from the 1920s, the effect of Furman v. Georgia, lethal injection and its protocol revisions, three Texas court challenges, time on death row, alternatives if lethal injection were ruled unconstitutional, a criminological theory, racial disparities, and the effect on crime compared with a state that has no death penalty.
Notice the verbs. Some topics ask you to describe, others to apply a theory, and the last one asks you to compare. A deck that only narrates dates will cover the first half and lose marks on the second. Check your brief for the marking criteria, because the question page does not publish a weighting.
Suggested slide split
The table below is a suggested split, not a requirement. Adjust it to your rubric and your word limit for the notes.
| Section | Suggested slides | Main job |
|---|---|---|
| Opening and roadmap | 1–2 | State the question and your sources |
| History and method before 1972 | 3–4 | Dates, method, scale |
| Furman, Gregg, and the Texas statute | 5–8 | Legal turning points |
| Lethal injection and protocol changes | 9–11 | Law, first use, drug changes |
| Court challenges and death row time | 12–14 | Outcomes and official figures |
| Alternatives, theory, race, crime control | 15–19 | Analysis and evidence |
| Conclusion plus reference slide | 20–21 | Position and APA list |
Step-by-step plan
- Write your one-sentence argument first. For example: Texas changed its methods and procedures repeatedly, but the evidence for a crime-control benefit is weak.
- List the nine topics from the brief and attach one primary source to each before you design anything.
- Build a timeline of dates and check each one against two sources.
- Draft slide titles as full-sentence claims rather than labels.
- Write the speaker notes before you touch the layout, because the notes carry the marks.
- Add visuals: a timeline graphic, a bar chart for execution counts by race, a simple comparison chart for Texas and your comparison state.
- Rehearse aloud and time each note.
- Finish with the APA reference slide and a check that every in-text citation appears in it.
Section-by-section guidance
History from the 1920s
Start with the law that moved executions to the state prison at Huntsville in 1923 and the first electrocutions on February 8, 1924, when five men died in one day. Then give the scale: 361 people were electrocuted in Texas between 1924 and 1964, according to the state prison agency. Keep this to two slides. It is the baseline, not the argument.
Furman, Gregg, and the Texas response
Furman v. Georgia was decided on June 29, 1972, by a 5–4 vote, and the justices wrote separately, so there is no single majority reasoning. In Texas the 45 men on death row had their sentences commuted. Four years later, on July 2, 1976, Gregg v. Georgia upheld a new Georgia system by a 7–2 vote, and Jurek v. Texas upheld the Texas system on the same day. The point to make is that Furman changed procedure, not the principle. Explain that difference clearly in your notes, since students often write that Furman abolished the death penalty.
Lethal injection
Texas amended its law in 1977, making it the second state after Oklahoma to authorize lethal injection. The first lethal injection execution in the country took place in Texas on December 7, 1982, when Charlie Brooks was put to death. The brief also asks about protocol revisions, so look at how the drugs used have changed over time and why, and keep a note of what each change did to the legal arguments.
Court challenges
You need three. Ex parte Granviel, decided in 1978, rejected a set of challenges to lethal injection, including claims of cruelty, vagueness, and improper delegation. Jurek v. Texas is the second obvious choice. For the third, pick a case you can explain in two sentences: what was challenged, what the court decided, and what changed afterward.
Time on death row and alternatives
The state prison agency reports an average of 11.22 years on death row before execution, and the longest wait is 11,575 days, about 31 years. For alternatives, name two realistic options and test each against the Eighth Amendment. Do not invent a method; check which ones other states actually authorize.
Theory, race, and crime control
Choose one theory and apply it. Deterrence theory fits well because it makes a testable prediction: if executions deter, murder rates should respond. On race, the state list of 597 executions shows 266 White, 213 Black, 114 Hispanic, and 4 Other people. Set that against Census population shares, say clearly that the categories and time frames differ, and do not claim intent from totals. For crime control, compare Texas with a state that has no death penalty, such as Michigan. Murder rates in non-death-penalty states have been lower on average, but a raw gap does not prove the penalty fails to deter, and a National Research Council review concluded that existing studies cannot reliably show the effect either way.
Handling data this carefully is where students most often need support. Our criminal justice report writing help page describes what is available if you want a second pair of eyes on your analysis.
What a higher-scoring answer looks like
| Weaker note | Stronger note |
|---|---|
| Furman ended the death penalty in 1972. | Furman held that the death penalty as then imposed was unconstitutional, five justices writing separately; Texas then rewrote its statute. |
| More Black people were executed, so the system is racist. | Black defendants make up 213 of 597 executions, far above their population share, but victim race and charging data are needed before drawing conclusions about cause. |
| States without the death penalty have less crime. | Non-death-penalty states report lower average murder rates, though poverty and urbanization may explain part of the gap. |
Mark-maximizing checklist
- Every slide title makes a claim, and every claim has a source in the notes.
- All nine topics from the brief appear, in an order that tells one story.
- You have at least seven outside sources, mainly peer-reviewed, plus official data.
- Dates and counts are checked against the current official pages and labeled with the date you checked.
- Each speaker note has an opening claim, evidence, a limitation, and a transition.
- Charts have labeled axes and a source line.
- The reference slide is in APA 7 format and matches your in-text citations.
Common mistakes
- Copying slide text into the notes. The notes should explain, not repeat.
- Treating execution totals as a fixed number. Counts change, so state the date you checked.
- Mixing Furman and Gregg. One stopped the penalty as then applied; the other allowed a redesigned system.
- Using only news sources. The brief wants mostly peer-reviewed work.
- Making causal claims from correlation. Race and crime-control slides both need limits stated.
- Cramming slides. Six bullets or fewer, and move the detail to the notes.
Common student worries
Many students worry about how to stay neutral on a topic with strong feelings attached. Presenting the evidence, naming its limits, and keeping your own position to the conclusion slide usually solves it. Others struggle with time: 20 slides with detailed notes is a lot of writing, so assign each night a block of five slides. A few ask whether they can use a different comparison state; check your brief, though Michigan is the example the question page suggests.
For a written take on the same subject, read the capital punishment essay example, which shows a different format and a different argument.
Reference sample
To see a finished layout, open the reference sample for the Texas death penalty presentation outline, for study use only. It has a 20-slide outline table and five fully written speaker notes, with a verified source list.
FAQs
How many slides do I need?
The brief asks for at least 20 content slides and a reference slide, so plan for 21 or more and check your brief for any upper limit.
Which sources are best for Texas execution data?
Start with the Texas prison agency pages for executed offenders and death row facts, then add the Death Penalty Information Center and Supreme Court opinions on Justia or Oyez for the legal history.
What is the difference between Furman and Gregg?
Furman v. Georgia, in 1972, found the death penalty unconstitutional as then administered. Gregg v. Georgia, in 1976, upheld a redesigned system with guided jury discretion.
Which criminological theory should I use?
Deterrence theory is the easiest fit because you can test it with murder-rate data. Rational choice or labeling theory can also work if you can connect them to evidence.
How do I handle the race data fairly?
Present counts and shares, explain how the categories are defined, and state what additional data, such as victim race, would be needed to say more.
Can I write the notes in bullet points?
The brief asks for detailed speaker notes, so full sentences in a speaking voice are safer than fragments. Check your brief for length guidance.
Ready to hand over the deck or just want a second opinion on your outline? Send your brief through the assignment submission page, or look at our law assignment help page for related coursework.
