Write a paper for each movie that addresses the study questions, below. The paper for each movie is to be a minimum of 400 words in length. Note the word count at the bottom of the paper. Papers are due for each movie on the dates noted in the film schedule. Turn the papers in during class or at the School of Criminology offices (310 Nebraska Hall).
************************************************************************************************ Illicit: The Dark Trade
1. How did events throughout the 1990s expand illicit trade and what is driving the counterfeit goods market today?
2.Of the different types of illicit trade mentioned; such as handbags, drugs, DVDs, pharmaceuticals, people, etc., which of these doyou think are the riskiest and most dangerous and/or destructive, and why?
3. Could there ever be an end to illicit trade? Why or why not?
4. Despite being illegal, do you think there are any positive aspects to illicit trade?
Scottsboro: An American Tragedy 1. How did racism and bigotry drive this case?
2. How did the American Communist Party impact this case?
3. While the level of blatant racism as experienced by the Scottsboro boys has generally dissipated, ethnic and racial minorities must still contend with a racially biased justice system. What can and should be done to address this lingering (and nationally embarrassing) issue?
1. Why do you think people turn to drugs in general, and heroin in particular, and why can't they stop using?
2. What do you think should be done to address the revolving door of drug addiction?
3. What would you do if one of your family members were addicated to heroin; your child?
4. Should we respond to heroin use/addiction as a public health problem or as a crime problem? *********************************************************************************
The Meth Epidemic
1. What impact has meth had in Oregon?
2. What has accounted for the changes in meth purity in the U.S. over the past 20+ years?
3. In what ways have politicians and lobbyists influenced the meth epidemic?
4. If you were in charge of solving the meth epidemic,what would you do?
1. Discuss the case of Marbury v. Madison. What impact did it have on the development and evolution of American jurisprudence?
2.Discuss the case of Scott v. Sandford. Why is it considered the worst opinion ever written in the history of the Court?
3. Discuss the notion that the reach of judicial power reaches extends only so far as the executive branch is willing to enforce it, and that the power of the Court is the power to persuade.
4.Discuss the life and times of Chief Justice John Marshall, and focus on how he impacted the future of the judicial system and the future ofthe then new nation of America.
1.After viewing this film, a Boston news reporter, paraphrasing Otto von Bismark, suggested that no one should have to witness the making of sausages and justice. Are there any aspects of the justice process as portrayed in this documentary that you find particularly unsettling?
2.The truth appears not merely to be difficult to ascertain, but virtually impossible to determine in a criminal courtroom. Why is that the case?
3.After a not guilty verdict, the defense attorney in the case loudly proclaims, they system works, the system works. Do you agree with him? Why or why not?
1.What is community policing and how is it changing law enforcement practices? How is it different from the traditional American policing model?
2.How should we respond to the problems of police brutality, racism, and corruption?
3.What should be done to improve policing in the 21st century?
4.What do you think of the CAPS program of Chicago; the problem-oriented policing model of San Diego; Chief Greenberg's model of policing in Charleston, South Carolina?
1. The U.S. has between 4 - 5% of the world's population, but 25% of the prison population. Why do you think America has such a fixation with incarceration? 2. What factors prompted the change in American from a focus on rehabilitation to the present focus on punishment?
3. What should be done to reduce the incarceration rate in America, or should it even be reduced?
1.Why have black youth gravitated to gang activity in Los Angeles?
2.What were the causes of the 1965 Watts riots? Some say the factors that sparked this episode some 50 years ago are still present today. What do you think?
3.How is our mass incarceration policy contributing to the gang problem?
4.Several gang members indicated that if they would have had job opportunities, they would not have gravitated to gang banging. Do you agree or disagree with this statement. Why or why not? If you do agree, what do you propose we do to address this anomie issue?
For a powerful and unequivocal portrayal of life in the Los Angeles gangs, read Kody Scott, Monster (Penguin Books, 1993).
3. Did the nature of the crime justify the violation?
4. If your children were kidnapped, would you violate the law to get them back? On the classic 1 to 10 scale, with 10 being the most serious of violations, how far would you go?
5. The movie clearly indicates that at times, the ends justify the means. Martin Luther King stated that the means are in the ends and therefore do NOT justify them. What is your perspective?