Borders, Boundaries, & You: Imagine There’s No Countries (with borders)
Less Borders = More Human Rights?
Author Reece Jones’ book ‘Violent Borders: Refugees and the Right to Move” argues that by removing borders, people have more access to human rights. On one hand, this certainly can make sense: Without borders, people can travel freely and escape from living under governments they are scared of. On the other hand, borders can help preserve cultures and societies.
Consider the United States: within the US are 50 states each within their own borders. The country has a set of laws that apply to all citizens at all times. Each state then has it’s own set of laws that may be different from the state next-door to it. Those state laws reflect the residents’ values while the country’ s laws reflect broader values of the citizens of the nation.
Jones’ claim that less borders increases access to human rights is an interesting one that is sure to spark differing opinions. This is… well, it’s an interesting idea! It’s also sure to stir debate – possibly even in your classroom!
————————– Questions:
1) Without borders, where would one state’s laws end and another begin?
2) How would you even know what state you are in?
3) What are your feelings about Jones’ idea? Why do you think it would or would not work? What effects do you imagine it would have?
Be sure to provide full explanations for each of your answers. For more details, you can read the article this piece was sourced from here:
After Teenage Mistakes, Pardons Give Second Chance to Ex-Offenders
Making a mistake is part of life and as a teenager you’re bound to make several but, making a mistake that defines your whole life when your 17 is the harsh reality for some. Contrary to popular belief, juvenile criminal records aren’t always sealed and can follow people throughout their lives.
What kinds of consequences might young offenders face? Foremost, a young offender with a criminal record may not be able to work in certain industries (jobs that involve working with children or positions that handle money will certainly be restricted). Even then, employers faced with choosing to hire between a candidate with a criminal record and one without one are more likely to hire the applicant without a criminal history. Difficulty securing work can lead to other life long problems. Without steady work, a person’s opportunity to make money is severely limited. This might lead to a life of poverty and the struggles that come with it.
Depending on the circumstances, a juvenile record that remains unsealed may be resolved through a pardon. The process for securing pardons for criminal histories of a minor differs from state to state, however that process is rarely short let alone easy. If a pardon is issued an individual may have an opportunity to secure a second chance at a productive and successful life for themselves, however pardons are rare and shouldn’t be considered a guaranteed solution.
New York is changing the lives of young offenders by granting pardons in some cases. The lesson isn’t to expect a pardon or a second chance, but rather to understand the struggle for the many individuals facing lives of constant struggle as a result of poor decisions they made as teenagers. Consider the consequences of your actions.
QUESTIONS:
1. What did you think happened to your ‘juvenile record’ before reading this news piece? In other words, before reading this piece, what did you think would happen once you turned 18 if you had been in legal trouble before becoming an adult?
2. Answer depending on how you feel: Why is it fair or unfair for the process of getting a juvenile record ‘sealed’ or hidden to be so difficult for some people? If you’re still not clear on the idea of a juvenile record, think about it like a ‘permanent record’ that follows you through life as you apply for schools, jobs, a place to live and really just about anything you want that would need some kind of application.
3. What is the process to get a juvenile record sealed in the state you live in? Specifically: How long can it take and what is the least amount of money it would cost to do it?
Teen Vandals Sentenced to
Read Books & Write Papers
It’s rare that a punishment can be inspiring but, a judge in Virginia has given a sentence to young vandals that orders them to read books and write papers. As a provider of educational resources, we find this to be a unique sentence – one that we support. We also hope more judges will find creative ways to change and educate young offenders.
Five 16 and 17 year old boys in Virginia had been found guilty of spray painting racist, sexist, and anti-Semitic symbols on a historic building in their community. At the behest of the prosecutor on the boys’ case, the sentencing judge gave the teens – none of whom had prior records – a list of 35 books and 14 movies with themes of race, gender and religious issues.
The boys were required to provide written reports on what they read or watched on a monthly basis, and their parents had to visit a holocaust museum with them so ‘the whole family would learn together’.
The prosecutor explained ””They have to write either a book report once a month of they can substitute three of of the books for a movie review, so I also gave them a list of approved movies that they can watch. And hopefully, what they get out of this year is a greater appreciation for gender, race, religion, bigotry. And then when they go out in to the world, they are teachers.“
QUESTIONS
——
1) Why does it seem fair or unfair (depending how you feel) that young people like these students can be given non-traditional punishments (having to do book reports instead of going to jail) ?
2) The judge in this case decided how to punish the students even though there wasn’t a law or rule explaining to the judge how unique their punishment could be. What benefitsare there to our community when judges can make up their own punishments?
3) The judge in this case decided how to punish the students even though there wasn’t a law or rule explaining to the judge how unique their punishment could be. What risks are there to our community when judges can make up their own punishments?
Hacker Out For Justice Exposes Assailants By Hacking Police Info,
Gets Himself (Predictably) Arrested & Convicted
On the night of August 11, 2012 at a party in Steubenville, Ohio, several male students – including two respected high school football players – committed acts of violence upon one of their classmates who had been incapacitated due to her ingesting alcohol and possibly drugs. The assault was filmed and photographed by the students committing the criminal acts.
On August 22, 2012 following the examination of more than 15 digital devices and over 60 interviews with students, school staff, and parents having been conducted by police, two teens were charged with crimes related to the incident. Initially, these would be the only charges. By November 2nd that year, the two suspects (the earlier mentioned football players) would be released on house arrest until their trials in March 2013.
The story remained mostly local until December 16, 2012 when a New York times article brought the story to a national spotlight, highlighting two main issues. First was the matter of the number of male participants in the assault that had gone uncharged despite having witnessed the assault, shared images of it on social media, failed to report it to lawful authorities, and then having attempted to and occasionally succeeded in destroying evidence – including of their own participation. The second matter was that of the adults in the town, as roughly half of the town held beliefs that the coaches and school administrators in charge of the students involved in the assault were themselves involved in a cover-up.
Around the same time, Deric Lostutter was living in Kentucky and beginning to come into his own as a hacktivist: an online hacker that uses their computer science skills to promote and support political agendas they care about. Just the night before on December 15 while going by his online alias KYAnonymous, Deric launched an operation with help from members of a hacker group called Anonymous that would result in plain clothes officers and members of the Hell’s Angels biker gang volunteering together to create human barriers around several funerals. Those barriers were needed to protect the mourners from the shouts and harassment of a hate group called The Westboro Baptist Church, who were planning to harass the mourners of the 20 elementary school children killed in the Sandy Hook active-shooter mass-murder incident of 2012.
Feeling successful and having seen the New York Times article, KYAnonymous turned his eye to Steubenville and created a video asking anyone who considered themselves a member of anonymous to take action. Over the next 14 days, people would take action, and Deric would be sent a 12 minute video showing Michael Nodianos – one of the uncharged members of the football team involved in the August 2012 Steubenville sexual assault incident – drunk and joking about the incident. To be clear: the footage was taken the same night that the incident occurred. KY Anonymous was outraged: It was clear some of what the New York Times article had been reporting was true – witnesses to and possible participants in the assault had gone uncharged by the authorities. He posted the video on January 2, 2013.
On April 17, 2013 less than a month had passed since the two football players originally charged with the assault had been convicted and sentenced to roughly 1 year in prison each. That was also the day the FBI raided KYAnonymous’ home and arrested him. Eventually, he would be charged him with violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. This eventually led to his being found guilty and sentenced to two years in jail: twice the length of time as the convicted teenage assault participants.
————————– Questions:
1) Why do you agree or disagree with the cause?
2) Why do you agree or disagree with the action?
3) Why do you agree or disagree with the punishment / consequences?
4) What cause – if any – would make you want to knowingly break the law, and why?
5) What are some better courses of action you can think of besides breaking the law in support of a cause you care about, or if you feel there aren’t any, what obstacles would prevent your from engaging in lawful resistance?
Be sure to provide full explanations for each of your answers. For more details, you can read the article this piece was sourced from here:
The First Amendment gives Americans the right to free speech, stating “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
The phrase ‘the right of people to peaceably assemble’ may not bring the same heated debates on interpretation as the language in the Second Amendment (the right to ‘bear arms’), however the lack of clarity has been the source of many a legal battle throughout American history. From the students of Kent University being shot at in 1970 to the recent protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), protesters and law enforcement have faced off in situations that have resulted in contested (though often times upheld) arrests.
When protesters turn violent or simply begin to destroy property, law enforcement agencies clearly have a mandate to control the situation. What about when protesters conduct ‘sit-ins’ or temporarily block roads during a protest? On one hand they are interfering with tax-paying citizens’ ability to use the resources they contribute to – What if one of those citizens was you and you were running late to work? On the other hand, they are being peaceful and attempting to exercise their constitutional rights to free speech and assembly to draw attention to a cause that is important to them…and maybe to you!
States across the country are currently putting laws in place to more clearly define these situations on what does and does not fit within the definition of the right to peaceably assemble. These pending laws might be inspiring you to ask a wide variety of great questions!
————————– Questions:
1) If ‘Congress shall make no law’, when states pass these laws restricting / limiting protests, are they legal? Should that be left to the Supreme Court to decide? What should the definition of ‘peaceably assemble’ be?
2) What are three examples of what you believe are reasonable and legal methods of protest?
3) What are three examples of what you believe are unreasonable and illegal methods of protest?
Be sure to provide full explanations for each of your answers. For more details, you can read the article this piece was sourced from here:
My favorite part of the fieldtrip to the courthouse is when I got to play the part of Ron. I got to go on the witness chair and speaking. I helped Potter to be not guilty. Thank you for the great opportunity.
- Johnathan M [Harmon Elementary - Grade 4]
Project Real
2020-12-16T21:47:04+00:00
My favorite part of the fieldtrip to the courthouse is when I got to play the part of Ron. I got to go on the witness chair and speaking. I helped Potter to be not guilty. Thank you for the great opportunity. - Johnathan M [Harmon Elementary - Grade 4]
Thank you for letting us watch the civil case! It was cool because it was a real case and not one played out. I had a lot of fun watching the other kids act out a session. Thank you for your time.
- Kaylie [Hewetson Elementary - Grade 5]
Project Real
2020-12-11T20:39:35+00:00
Thank you for letting us watch the civil case! It was cool because it was a real case and not one played out. I had a lot of fun watching the other kids act out a session. Thank you for your time. - Kaylie [Hewetson Elementary - Grade 5]
Thank you for letting us experience court for the first time. It was the best experience ever, thank you for everything. You really made me think about being a judge. Thank you
-Mina L [ Twitchell Elementary - Grade 5]
Project Real
2020-12-16T22:04:09+00:00
Thank you for letting us experience court for the first time. It was the best experience ever, thank you for everything. You really made me think about being a judge. Thank you -Mina L [ Twitchell Elementary - Grade 5]
