Human Rights Education
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Preliminary Reflection on the Death Penalty
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Materials:
Lesson 1 Activity Handout
"Facts and Figures on the Death Penalty"
Time: 1 class period
Overview:
Students will identify and articulate their view on the death penalty. Students will have the option to share those views with the class and participate in a discussion. Finally, students will be asked to argue a case from an assigned role that might be a character whose feelings on the death penalty may differ from their own.
Objective:
- To illuminate the many complicated issues surrounding capital punishment.
- Students will develop skills taking multiple perspectives and thinking criticly about other point of views.
Procedure:
1. Have students do a 3-minute "stream of consciousness" - writing continually for 3 minutes without removing their pen from the paper- on their emotions and thoughts on the death penalty.
2. Reconvene and have students volunteer to share their thoughts on the death penalty.
Jot down major ideas and issues on the board as students speak. Be sure to write down questions as they come up.
3. Have the students look at the board and come up with common themes/ideas that the class seems to be interested and have students chose topics for the discussion. Allow debates and dialogues to develop between students. For example it might be helpful to highlight the need for justice, etc.
4. Activity -
- Handout "Lesson 1 Activity Handout" and have students volunteer to read the scenario that is presented out loud out the class.
- Make sure to explain that in these cases, the defendants have already been found guilty and that the students are to decide the punishment (life in jail without parole vs capital punishment, etc.).
- Divide the class into 6 groups and assign each group a different role:
1) In favor of death penalty for Andy Smith
2) Against death penalty for Andy Smith
3) In favor of death penalty for Jim Stiles
4) Against death penalty for Jim Stiles
5) In favor of death penalty for Sam Waltham
6) Against death penalty for Sam Waltham - Assign each group different locations in the classroom where they can meet to discuss how they will argue their opinion. Allow groups 10 minutes to develop their argument.
- Bring the class back together and have a spokesperson from each group explain why the group feels that the defendant they were focusing on should or should not receive the death penalty.
5. Explain that the class is to embark on a unit exploring the death penalty and will look at many factors such as its ethical implications, its effects as a deterrent, impartiality of its administration, etc.. Explain that the activity they just completed touched on many of these issues and that the will learn about the legal process that leads up to the decisions they made.
Homework: Handout "Facts and Figures on the Death Penalty" for students to review at home. Have them answer the following questions in writing:
- Which topic from today's discussion made the strongest impression on you? Why?
- Did today's discussion affect the way you feel about the death penalty? Why or why not?
- What main points did the students in your class agree upon today? What points did they disagree upon? Why were these topics so controversial?
- What did someone say today that surprised you? Why did it surprise you?
- What questions do you wish you had asked today?
- Did any of the facts or statistics surprise you?
- What is your view on the death penalty?
- What purpose do you think the death penalty serves in today's society?
- Is it ethical for the state to kill their prisoners?
- Do you think the criminal justice system is fair to all? Why or why not?