Readings:
1. Everyone Deserves Fairness (5 minutes)
2. Justice seems to be only for the Criminals. (5 minutes)
Accompanying Activity:
Discussion of two conflicting points of view. (35 minutes)
Objectives:
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1. To show that people hold different beliefs on the same subject and that these beliefs can always be debated but must always be respected.
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2. To help students gain an understanding of how volatile the issue of criminal justice is in America.
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3. To gain knowledge of various points of view concerning the criminal justice system.
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4. To sharpen oratory skills.
General Statement:
Debates concerning limitations upon the rights of the accused gain a greater sense of urgency when the public perceives crime as out of control and intrusive to their everyday schedules. There are those who suggest that the rights of the accused are not of primary concern. Many of these same people believe that the law must protect, first and foremost, the innocent, law-abiding citizens, (that is those who are not convicted or accused of crimes). Others, however, believe that prosecutors, magistrates, police officers and other state agents must be reigned in by close scrutinizing of their behavior.
Vocabulary:
Volatile, Magistrates
Teaching Strategy:
Entry Point A:
Have the class read the two essays ‘Everyone Deserves Fairness‘ and ‘Justice Seems Only to be for the Criminals‘. (Both written by Gary Highsmith).
Entrv Point B:
Divide the class into three groups: A) Those that agree with essay #1, those that agree with #2 and those who agree with both.
Entry Point C:
Discussion among all three sides.
Homework:
Students will write a one page argumentative essay which discusses the strengths of the argument which they oppose. These will be read aloud in the classroom during the next class.
EVERYONE DESERVES FAIRNESS
All my life I have lived in America. From the time that I entered through the school doors I have been told that American democracy is the greatest on earth and that no other nation in this world can claim to have the success that we do in this country.
I have also been told that in this country, everyone is treated fairly under the law. Rich or poor, Black or White, Christian or Muslim, everyone has basic legal rights that should not be violated, even if a person has broken the law.
This is why I believe with all my heart that those who commit crimes deserve a fair trail and a lawyer. And if the cops get evidence illegally, the state should not be allowed to use it against them. Just because someone is a cop does not mean that they should be allowed to break the law, a law that they are paid to uphold.
Don’t get me wrong, I do not condone criminal behavior. But blanket statements like ‘if you do the crime, you have to do the time‘ are too simplistic. To suggest that everything is cut and dry all the time is terrible and at times puts people in jail when they clearly do not belong there.
Supreme Court rulings that began to give the accused more rights in the 1960’s happened because the government, especially the police, overstepped their boundaries so much that what they were doing was in fact criminal. They planted evidence, went into homes without a warrant and without reasonable suspicion and searched in places not even on the warrant! I don’t need to mention how many times they illegally interrogated people and forced them to confess, especially poor people, and especially poor members of racial and ethnic groups.
More and more each day I am beginning to feel as though people are guilty until proven innocent by a criminal justice system that only cares about getting the cases done, and not about justice for all. People are constantly convicted in the media before a trial ever starts. Its a shame, really a shame.
If police officers, prosecutors and magistrates are not watched closely, and do not have certain legal restrictions which govern their actions, then they will be able to do anything to anybody, even ‘lawabiding citizens‘ like you and me. Putting more power in the hands of the government, and especially the police, is a scary thought to me because I am afraid that ‘we the people‘, will never be able to get the power back if the government abuses it (which they will do). Finally, when you, Mr. or Mrs. ‘Law Order,‘ have your civil liberties violated by the police, and you find that there is nothing you can do about it, then I’m sure you will have a better understanding of my point of view.
JUSTICE SEEMS TO BE ONLY FOR THE CRIMINALS
America used to be the greatest nation in the world. But today, this country is going to hell in a hand basket because of all the crime. Crime is out of control and no one seems to know how to stop it.
There are too many so called liberals who scream and yell about the criminals getting a raw deal from the police and courts. They talk about how everyone has rights and that even criminals are protected by the constitution. What about the rights of the law-abiding people like you and me? Who or what is going to protect us from them?
Criminal rights, yea right! Once you commit a crime you give up your rights. Why should someone have any rights if they cannot respect the rights of others? Why should the Constitution protect those who break the law? That is ridiculous!
Fairness for everyone. I am all for fairness if the criminals are going to be fair too. If they are not, then the government should not be fair to them. If the cops get evidence illegally, why should it be thrown out of court? If the person never committed the crime, there would be no evidence, now would there? Why should people be allowed to go free just because the cops found evidence they were not necessarily looking for? This country is just too soft on crime and criminals.
Hey, if you do the crime, you do the time. If you don’t want to do the time, don’t do the crime. Its that simple. If someone murders, they get caught, they go to jail, end of story. I don’t care about the constitution, I care about protecting my family from the thugs and murderers. And I’ll tell you what, they can’t get me from behind bars, that for sure.
I am sick and tired of seeing people arrested for dealing drugs and murdering, and then they’re out in a few days. What is going on here! Its like a revolving door, they go in, they come right back out and the taxpayers have to foot the bill for it. And to make matters worse, if they cannot afford a lawyer, we, the taxpayers, have to pay up again. They should have thought about that before they went out and committed a crime. If they knew they had to pay for a lawyer, they wouldn’t go out and commit these crimes. The criminals know the law better than most lawyers do. They know how to get around the law. We have to take that power away from them if we are going to end this crime problem that is pulling America down the gutter day by day.
Hey, I trust the police. They have always been there when I needed them. Some people make it seem as though all cops are bad. Yea, some are bad, but that is just a small fraction of the total number of police officers. T hey have a hard enough job without the courts letting the criminals literally get away with murder. The day of the bleeding heart liberal is gone. When America gets tough on crime, criminals will change their behavior. When Mr. and Mrs. ‘Fairness for All‘ get mugged or shot, I would like to see them advocate for their attacker. I bet they will want some law and order then!