Discussion Problem 1:
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, in his dissenting opinion for Glossip v. Gross, wrote:
Nearly 40 years ago, this Court upheld the death penalty under statutes that, in the Court's view, contained safeguards sufficient to ensure that the penalty would be applied reliably and not arbitrarily. . . . The circumstances and the evidence of the death penalty's application have changed radically since then . . . those changes, taken together with my own 20 years of experience on this Court, . . . lead me to believe that the death penalty, in and of itself, now likely constitutes a legally prohibited "cruel and unusual punishmen[t]." (Death Penalty Information Center)
Take a position. Do you agree or disagree that capital punishment is cruel and unusual punishment? Need Assignment Help?
First, title your initial post either "The death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment" or "The death penalty is not cruel and unusual punishment."
Then, using the U.S. Constitution (specifically the Eighth Amendment) as the basis for your position, make your case. Why is or isn't capital punishment cruel and unusual punishment? Think about each of the four purposes of punishment and how these purposes, the Constitution, and your ideas all intersect.
Discussion Problem 2:
Take a position. Do you agree or disagree that an emphasis on discipline and a zero tolerance approach in schools with a large minority or disadvantaged population creates a school-to-prison pipeline?
First, title your initial post either "An emphasis on discipline / zero tolerance in schools with large minority or disadvantaged populations DOES create a school-to-prison pipeline" or "An emphasis on discipline / zero tolerance in schools with large minority or disadvantaged populations DOES NOT create a school-to-prison pipeline."
Then, make your case. Does this pipeline exist? Is there a disproportionate number of minority or disadvantaged juveniles in the juvenile justice system? Consider "the disproportionality of juveniles from disadvantaged backgrounds becoming incarcerated because of harsh school or local policies" (Peak). What do you think causes this? If you don't think it is caused by strict school policies, why does this seem to be the case on the surface? What can be done to minimize the pipeline or the appearance of a pipeline? Beyond strong discipline and zero tolerance, what other approaches should schools take to ensure safety and discipline?