Criminal Justice Extremes: Fines, Incarceration, and the Death Penalty
Criminal Justice Extremes: Fines, Incarceration, and the Death Penalty
Part 1: “Fine and Punishment”–Planet Money–NPR
Listen to the podcast below (click on link—approximately 22 min)
Prison fines and fees are used to pay for basic government functions : Planet Money :
NPRLinks to an external site.
Part 2: The death penalty
a.View the film, \\”Death By Fire\\” at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/death-by-
fire/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Please watch until the end as
there is an unexpected ending. The film is approximately 50 minutes long. If the link to
the film does not work, read the article about the film here: Trial by Fire | The New
Yorker
b. Additional sources: .
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. —
Try looking under the “issues” tab and the “resources” tab for most of your information.
http://conservativesconcerned.org/why-were-concerned/ (Links to an external site.)Links
to an external site.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/09/01/death-penalty-convictions-decreased-in-broke-
counties-nationwide/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Questions:
1. What is the socioeconomic status of the people who are allegedly involved
in both the low level and more serious crimes discussed in the podcast and
film? How did socioeconomic status affect the events and outcomes for
both groups of people in terms of justice? Explain in detail.
2. For the convicted people in Parts 1 and 2, specifically explain how the
events reflect Texas’ political culture (Individualistic and Traditional). See
Week 1 material for political culture reminder.
3. Discuss the issues of financial costs for government action in both
extremes: How expensive is the death penalty as opposed to life in prison?
How expensive is incarceration (prison). Explain. For lower-level cases, do
you favor imprisonment or some other option? Why? How does this
choice affect the public? Explain your answer in detail.
4. Should offenders be re-incarcerated for failing to pay fines or
fees not associated with the details of their specific case? How do you
think these fees might trap people in negative cycles? What is your opinion
regarding the costs of keeping people in prison to pay off these fines?
Explain your position.
5. If you were the chairperson of the Budget Committee in the Texas Senate,
how would you view this issue? If you were the chairperson of the
Criminal Justice Committee, how would you view it?
6. Why do you think the Governor and state legislature continue to support
high rates of incarceration, fines, and the death penalty?
7. Consider the issue of fining people and requiring fees that are not
connected to their offense. Do you think fines and fees should be
allowed for services not used by/caused by /associated with the
defendants? Discuss an example from the podcast .
8. Should people be re-incarcerated for failing to pay fines or
fees not associated with the details of their specific case? How do you
think these fees might trap people in negative cycles? What is your opinion
regarding the costs of keeping people in prison to pay off these fines?
9. Does your opinion change if there is a fee actually associated with the
person’s actual case (like a court reporter fee)?
10. Cost: Does the death penalty or life in prison cost more? Why? Explain.
(Note: This is a factual question not an opinion). Does the issue of cost
matter to you? Why?
11. Does the Death Penalty deter crime? (Note: This is a factual question not
an opinion). Explain what the evidence indicates. Does the answer to this
question matter to you? Why or why not?
12. Based upon the websites, how does race affect the Death Penalty? Think
about the race of the perpetrator, victim, jury, judges, prosecutors, etc
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