Thinking about the death penalty

The C2-level learners of our school who have been attending lessons for some months should be familiar with the story of Troy Davis who was on death row, as it has been brought up in our recent classes. Even though there was no solid evidence against him, this man was executed in the U.S. on 22 September. We now urge our students to read about the whole story here and then find out more about other controversial death row cases.

Keeping all the information in mind concerning both sides of capital punishment, they should try to answer this question: 

When is the death penalty the right answer? Does it constitute an efficient crime deterrent or should it be abolished? 

Here is also a variety of links on the issue along with two interesting quotes that can serve as a springboard for further discussion: 

Capital punishment is a barbaric remnant of uncivilized society. It is immoral in principle, and unfair and discriminatory in practice. It assures the execution of some innocent people. As a remedy for crime, it has no purpose and no effect. Capital punishment ought to be abolished now.
 ~American Civil Liberties Union

I believe that the weight of the evidence--aggregate statistical analyses, evaluations of experiments and quasi-experiments, and studies of individual behavior--supports the view that the rate of crime is influenced by its costs. This influence is greater--or easier to observe- for some crimes and persons than for others.
 ~James Q. Wilson, "Thinking About Crime: The Debate over Deterrence," The Atlantic Monthly, September 1983

Students can double-click on words they do not know on this blog.

The Lady Lifers: A moving song from women in prison for life

This video is about the feelings of prisoners while the years are passing . It describes their emotions, their thoughts and the questions they came up with in this unknown ''home''. Moreover, they try to persuade themselves that prison isn't their home, but they'll finallly go out there and be proud of their strength. Futhermore, they have realized their faults and also they have recongnised their guilt and  ask questions such as: what will happen if they get through in this condition or whether they'll see their family again. Last but not least, they hope that they won't die alone in this ''cold place'' where everyone is a suspect of a wrong and regretted action , we can see that when the singers are crying. I chose this video due to the fact that they hope for a better future like everyone and their final message is strength and a brief summary of  their wants.

http://www.ted.com/talks/the_lady_lifers_a_moving_song_from_women_in_prison_for_life

The difference between murder/ homicide and manslaughter

Taken from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary application.

Amazing TED video on crime

http://www.ted.com/talks/ismael_nazario_what_i_learned_as_a_kid_in_jail?utm_source=email&source=email&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ios-share

How are shoplifters treated in your country? Do you think that this is what they deserve?

I maintain that shoplifting in Greece is considered a petty crime, that's why shoplifters are detained for a short time. However, I firmly believe that most of those people's actions are a result of a kind of illness or addiction, thus they shouldn't be treated as criminals.

Blog activity about crime

A new mission for you, girls!

First, visit this post: YOUTH CRIME ACTIVITY

Try to find the meaning of the new words, then watch the video and answer the questions that follow either on your blog or mine.

This will add even more words to your 'crime' word list, right? :-)