A plea bargain is a contact with the state. Generally, a defendant who enters into a plea bargain typically agrees to plead guilty to a lesser crime (receiving a lesser sentence as a result) rather than go to trial for a more serious charge that carries the possibility of a harsher sentence if he/she is found guilty. The defendant may also be offered a reduced sentence in exchange for information about another illegal act or guilty individual. Over 90% of felony cases end in plea bargains.
Assignment:
View the PBS Frontline Episode: The Plea http://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-the-plea/
After watching write a 2-page reflection paper that addresses the pros and cons associated with plea bargaining. Address the potential benefits and drawbacks for 1) prosecutors, 2) defendants, 3) victims, and 4) society. Include relevant constitutional issues and use specific examples from the documentary as support.
Capital Punishment Assignment: (this assignment is not an option for students in CCJ1020)
Introduction:
Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the lawful execution of a convicted criminal by the government. Those crimes punishable by death are known as “capital crimes.” Fifty-eight countries, including North Korea, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, China, Saudi Arabia, and the United States, retain the death penalty. However, many democracies have abolished the death penalty on the principle that executing any person is dehumanizing, even if that person was convicted of the worst kinds of crime. Additionally, the potential for the wrongful conviction and execution of innocent persons is often cited as support for the abolishment of the death penalty. One hundred and forty countries worldwide prohibit capital punishment, including Canada, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom.
Assignment:
Watch the following Amnesty International clips on the Troy Davis case (they’re listed in order):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SH4IpmJl6M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajDmdDl-FhM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mcraX7yq_0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJxudiudK4c
After watching, write a 2-page reflection paper that addresses the pros and cons associated with the death penalty. Address the potential benefits and drawbacks for 1) defendants, 2) victims, and 3) society. Include relevant constitutional issues and use specific examples from the documentary.
Life without Parole for Juveniles Assignment:
Introduction:
Each year in the United States, children as young as 13 are sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison without any opportunity for release. Approximately 2,500 children have been sentenced to juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) in the United States. Despite a global consensus that children cannot be held to the same standards of responsibility as adults are and recognition that children are entitled to special protection and treatment, the United States allows children to be treated and punished as adults. In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles convicted of murder cannot be subject to a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole but did not ban the JLWOP entirely.
Assignment:
View the PBS Frontline Episode: When Kids Get Life http://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-when-kids-get-life/
After watching write a 2-page reflection paper that addresses the pros and cons associated with life without parole for juvenile offenders. Address the potential benefits and drawbacks for 1) defendants, 2) victims, and 3) society. Include relevant constitutional issues and use specific examples from the documentary as support.