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Name: Teacher Name: _________________________ Teacher: _______________________ This unit aims to introduce the ethical issue of Justice and Capital Punishment. You will need to be able to describe, explain and analyse, using knowledge and understanding. As well as use evidence and reasoned argument to express and evaluate personal responses, informed insights and differing viewpoints of the debate about capital punishment, taking account of social, political, biblical, Church and other ethical viewpoints Crime is ________________________________________________________________________________ 1. _________________________________________________________________________________ 2. _________________________________________________________________________________ 3. _________________________________________________________________________________ Why do people commit Crime? Identify three reasons why you think it is important for someone to be punished when they break the law 1. _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ 2. _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ 3. _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Theories and Aims of Punishment If someone commits a crime they are caught and punished. However not everyone agrees on how appropriate some punishments are and so for this reason we have a judicial system to help decide on a suitable punishment for an offender. The aims of these aims are: Theory Explanation Protection Retribution Deterrence Reform Vindication Types of Punishment If a person is caught committing a crime, they are usually arrested, taken to court and given a punishment that the court decides ‘fits the crime’. Some examples of these may be: • ____________________________ • ____________________________ • ____________________________ • ____________________________ • ____________________________ • ____________________________ Do you think that the only way to reduce crime is to hand out more severe punishments? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ CAPITAL PUNISHMENT ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ There are nine common methods of execution which include: hanging, shooting by firing squad, shooting, beheading, lethal injection, stoning, gas chamber, electrocution, and falling from an unknown height. The most common method authorized by law is hanging, with sixty countries authorizing this practice, while the least common methods include electrocution, gas chamber, and falling from an unknown height. The United States is the only country to authorize both electrocution and gas chamber and Iran is the only country to authorize pushing individuals from an unknown height. Amnesty International reported that global executions fell in 2018 by almost one-third (the lowest figure in at least a decade). The statistics assess known executions worldwide except in China, where figures thought to be in their thousands remain classified as a state secret. Match the crime with something you believe to be a suitable punishment… Armed Bank Robbery Life Imprisonment Murder (premeditated/planned) £7,000+ Fine Manslaughter (unintentional/by accident) Death Penalty E.g. Drink driving/speeding and hit a pedestrian. Mass Murder 10 Years Imprisonment (Serial Killing) Community Service or Vandalism Fine under £5,000 Assault 3 Years Imprisonment (e.g. Grievance Bodily Harm) Fraud 6 Years Imprisonment (e.g. Copying someone's credit card) Research the work of Amnesty International at www.amnesty.org/en/what -we-do/death-penalty/. Note down five key facts about their work with Capital Punishment - what they do, why they do it and where they work. ____________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ _________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Life on Death Row: A Changed Man? Stanley ‘Tookie’ Williams Was the co-founder of the Los Angeles gang – ‘The Crips’ and was mostly known for murder & drug trafficking. In 1981 he was convicted of murdering four people during two robberies and sentenced to death row. His prosecutors described him as a ‘cold blooded killer’ with no regard for human life. He did not apologise for his crime, and maintained that he was innocent. Tookie was sentenced to death. Should the death penalty be used here? ___________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ Whilst imprisoned Tookie: • Wrote 9 children's books that educate children to avoid gangs and crime. • Wrote the Tookie protocol for peace-a guide on how communities can create peace • Saved the lives of over 150,000 youths who were preparing to join gangs or got out of a gang • Was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 5 times • Received a 2005 Presidential Call to Service award from George Bush Many people fought for Clemency (the right for mercy) for Stanley Williams. These included celebrities, civil rights activists, religious leaders and politicians. They felt that Tookie had changed his behaviour and had helped thousands in need. BUT: Does this change anything? ___________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ On 13th December 2005, after 24 years on death row, Stanley Williams was executed by Lethal Injection. Hours before his execution he said “I just stand strong and continue to tell you, your audience, and the world that I am innocent and, yes, I have been a wretched person, but….I have redeemed myself.” Questions: 1) Should the work that Stanley Williams did have saved him from the death penalty? Explain your answer. _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ 2) Was he really reformed (changed) or was he doing the work to try and save himself? What do you think? _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ 3) The victims families were present at the execution, how do you think they would have felt? Do you think it is right that they should have been there? _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ What would a Christian say about the decision to execute Stanley ‘Tookie’ Williams? _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ Think about: 10 Commandments / ‘An eye for an eye’ (Old Testament) / ‘Turn the other cheek’ (Jesus teachings) / The Lord’s Prayer / The Unforgiving Servant / The Lost Son The Bali Nine In 2006, a court found them to be the leaders of a group of nine Australians arrested in Bali with more than 18lb (8.3kg) of heroin. Their families say they were rehabilitated while in prison, but Indonesian President Joko Widodo rejected their clemency pleas, saying there can be no compromise on the issue of death sentences for drug traffickers. He has described the drug trade as a scourge that kills up to
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