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Law and Order
Chapter Objectives
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Crime is a fact of life in America. The American crime rate surpasses that of every other country in the western world, with over 2.2 million violent crimes reported in 2000. The problem of juvenile crime continues to perplex our criminal justice system. There are standard procedures in place to punish adult offenders, but when we are faced with administering adult punishment to offenders who are still in their teens or younger, we are faced with many complex and difficult questions. Incarceration does not seem to be the answer—juvenile offenders are four times more likely to become repeat offenders. How do we impose law and order in modern America? This chapter examines several issues connected to violent crime in America: juvenile crime, gun control, and capital punishment. Explore the following questions as you read the essays in this chapter:
- Should we ignore the age of the offender, focusing on the crime itself, or should we make special provisions for treating young offenders differently than adult criminals?
- Are children fully responsible for their actions, no matter how heinous, or are violent offenders victims of parental neglect, poverty, and an environment filled with violence? If children are not fully responsible for their behavior, should we make allowances for them in our criminal justice system?
- Has our society neglected the needs of children who commit crimes? What is our responsibility to them?
- What does "the right to bear arms" really mean? What did the framers of the Bill of Rights intend for the Second Amendment to protect?
- What is the relationship between handgun ownership and juvenile crime? Can we protect our children if we ban handguns?
- Is the death penalty justified? Is it an effective deterrent?
- Does the death penalty give victims’ families closure?
- In light of DNA evidence, should there be a moratorium on capital punishment until all states recognize the right to an appeal based on DNA testing?
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