For example, in 1995, a federal court in Massachusetts found that inmates' constitutional rights were violated when they were held in a 150-year-old prison that was infested with vermin, fire hazards, and a lack of toilets. ... Inmates have the right to be free from sexual crimes, including sexual harassment. ... It is sufficient if there is an administrative hearing before independent medical professionals. ... The PRLA contains five major provisions: Prisoners must exhaust internal prison grievance procedures before they file suit in federal court. ... Estate of Shabazz (1987), and st...

• Word Count: 3147
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography

"We universally and consistently oppose the death penalty, in all circumstances. ... However these anomalies were swept away with the passing of the Crimes (Death Penalty Abolition) Amendment Act, 1985. ... On this occasion 95 per cent of the respondents were in favor of the reintroduction of capital punishment. ... In Queensland, for example, in the decade prior to the abolition of capital punishment (1912-21), there were 131 murders, whereas in the decade following abolition (1923-32) there were 129 murders. ... In Canada, the homicide rate fell from a peak of 3.09 per 100,000 population in ...

• Word Count: 2841
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Capital punishment, to many people, seem cruel and unusual, but its purpose is to punish those who committed such horrendous crimes as murder and to make people who would otherwise commit these violent acts think twice before they go out and commit crimes such as murder. Although in the past, the number of crimes that were subjected to capital punishment, defined simply as the death penalty for a crime, were outrageous. Amendments were made to reflect the changes in the society's views on the morality of capital punishment. ... "In the United States alone there have been 4047 ex...

• Word Count: 2831
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Emerging in the 1950's were the Black Muslims and the visionary Malcolm X. ... "Who were the militants?" ... Still, we have more young black men in prison than we do in college. The culture of incarceration has transcended prison walls, transforming the free world into a shadow of the penitentiary. ... When Davis began fighting to free political prisoners in the late 1960s, she and other activists thought incarceration rates had reached critical levels. ...

• Word Count: 3043
• Approx Pages: 12

If Osama bin Laden were caught and executed then more Americans would feel better flying in airplanes. ... Wrongly accusing people has been done before. ... Letting them go free is obviously out of the question. ... Before one considers the death penalty as punishment for a grave crime, one must reflect upon the purpose of any form of punishment."... Member Ted Gausmann state, "First, we must understand the context of this verse. ...

• Word Count: 2542
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

"If someone deserves to die, does it mean that we have the right to kill him? ... If executions were made public, America would see the torture we put Americans through and be so ashamed by it that they would want the government to abolish the law. ... If we did sink to the level of the criminal, it shows that we have no morals. ... Many questions have to be answered before making a final judgment about the morality of the death penalty (Williams, 2000). ... Capital punishment fails to successfully fight crime and to construct a society that is free from crime. ...

• Word Count: 2712
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Jon Manning: If capital punishment were carried out more it would prove to be the crime deterrent it was partly intended. Most criminals would think twice before committing murder if they knew their own lives was at stake. ... In 1994 there were 2,850 persons awaiting execution. ...

• Word Count: 4694
• Approx Pages: 19
• Grade Level: High School

Prisons are being built in the United States at a rate never before seen. It has been said that because of the time it takes to fund, plan, and build a new prison, we are building prisons for today's fourth grader's. ... If today's child's answer were a true representation of U.S. society, many would answer, "A corrections officer" or "A convict". ... (In 1984 just 30 percent of inmates were drug offenders; today 57 percent are) Less known is the impact of federal immigration policies. ... Indeed, some of the same justifications are made for prison labor as were made for sl...

• Word Count: 3333
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate