Criminal justice discussions.
1) 500 words
The United States is the only Western industrialized country that still utilizes the death penalty to punish offenders, and capital punishment remains one of the most controversial issues in criminal justice.
Review the following resource for arguments on both sides of the debate: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/execution/.
Of the five contemporary goals of sentencing discussed in the unit, which is the most appropriate to justify the use of the death penalty? Debate the ethics of the principle of “lex talionis” (an eye for an eye). Ensure that in your response you examine the ethics of sentencing offenders to death.
2) 500 words
Review the National of Institute Justice Article available here: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/219603.pdf. This article discusses making eyewitness identification more reliable. After you have reviewed it:
- Identify suggestions the article makes for improving eyewitness identification.
- Do you agree with the suggestions? Please comment.
- Are there other suggestions that you can think of that might improve the reliability of eyewitness identification?
