Law and Justice in America

Introduction

There are numerous books and the media spends ample time focusing on issues within the Unites States' criminal justice system. Is solitary confinement constitutional? Are private prisons ethical? Should juveniles be tried as adults? Are peremptory challenged being abused? What is the purpose of prisons?

 

Task

Your task is to listen, watch, and read the provided sources and sources you find, and then decide what you think is the most important issue facing the justice system in America today. 

Process

As an introduction, explore the following media:

Step One: Read the following article about Kalief Browder. Answer the discussion questions on google classroom, and respond to two peers' answers. 

Step Two: Listen to the podcast on This American Life. Answer the discussion questions on google classroom, and respond to two peers' answers. 

Step Three: Watch the Ted Talk by Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow. Answer the discussion questions on google classroom, and respond to two peers' answers. 

Step Four: Go to Google Classroom and complete a graphic organizer for an argumentative paper.

Step Five: Research your topic using the provided databases in Google Classroom.

Step Six: Complete a research paper with your research paper using MLA format. 

Evaluation

Conclusion

The purpose of this assignment is to help you develop your own ideas about unfamiliar and complex topics based on research. The ultimate goal is to partake in civil discourse, in which you can support your own opinion with substantiated facts, as well as acknowledge the view points of others, and to understand that no issue is simply black and white, but rather incredibly complicated. Lastly, as you read or hear stories about the American Justice system, you can use these rhetorical skills to make your own judgement. 

Credits

Teacher Page

Created by Tania Mason

Shadow Ridge High School

English Teacher