Criminal Justice, Class 14

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

[OOC: If people who aren't in the class want to evaluate The Tick, I have no clue how you'd go about doing so. That's not a hint. Really. The more people who take it, the worse, not the better! Seriously. Don't do it. I wonder if they worked through that code. Class Info Link.]

*Tick is standing at the podium. He looks pretty chipper, but with a lot on his mind. Not in a bad way, just in a busy way.*

Hello, class! We have a whole bunch of things to discuss today, so let's get right to it!

First, I will be holding irregular office hours from now on. My office is the World, and my hours are When Destiny Calls Me. If you need to see me, you'll find me. Or I'll find you! Someone will be found by someone and then someone will be helped! But I'll be available every day, is the point.

Second, I understand that some people spent some time in a certain locker recently. Let me know if you missed class due to a recent locker incident and your absence will be excused.

Third, if you haven't had a chance, please fill out the evaluation form I provided on Tuesday. There's something a little wierd going on with that, though. I have nine evaluations so far, and there were only five people in class on Tuesday. That doesn't seem to jive. But if you haven't done it yet, please fill one out because they're fun!.

Fourth, if you haven't seen, the list of grades through the first test is still on the wall.

Fifth is the matter of your first class project. Several of you requested this last week, so I have thrown together a little test of wits, strategy, and crime fighting knowledge! Last Thursday, the class seemed unanimous in the belief that the Road Runner was a criminal who has maliciously taunted Wile E. Coyote into injury time and again. On Sunday, November 6th, we will be spending some time in the school's Danger Shop. It will be outfitted to resemble the American Southwest, the desert region that is home to the fugitive Road Runner. Using your wits, the natural holographic surroundings, and any three items from the ACME Catalog that Rory has brought in, you will try to apprehend this holographic criminal. Your projects will be graded based on creativity and - to a smaller degree - if your plan succeeds in capturing the criminal. Blueprints detailing your plan are due one week from today. You may work alone or in groups of two. The tests will be run on a Sunday due to scheduling conflicts. Since it's a weekend, you don't have to attend the Danger Shop session, but I think it would be worth your time. I mean, it's a big hologram projector thingy! How keen is that? If you don't attend, you will find out how your project did on the following Tuesday, or whenever somebody from class tells you.

If you have any questions about this project, please ask me after class or during my office hours.

And since we've already talked about a lot today, our discussion question will be pretty light. How do you feel about relatively minor crimes like littering and jaywalking? Should offenders of these crimes be fined? Jailed? Or should we work on the honor system, assuming (and maybe taking time to make sure that this is indeed true) that everyone knows that littering is harmful to the environment and jaywalking is potentially harmful to yourself and the car that's about to hit you, and, egads, then you're just punishing yourself in the long run? What are your thoughts?

Comments

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

[OOC: The funniest part to me is that I ran the project idea past Dean Bristow. He said it was approved as long as it has some educational merit. I love the Dean.]

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

[fates_jaye]

Jaye proceeds to geek out at the very thought of the ACME catalogue. This is so weird it's awesome. And maybe something would work on her sister for this weekend.

"No one should be jailed for that stuff because I do it all the time," Jaye says, shrugging. "And I wouldn't make a good prison bitch."

[can_be_more]

"If it's illegal, than anyone who breaks the laws should be punished accordingly. Small crimes have a habit of turning into bigger ones and if you don't punish a criminal for the little things, then the bigger things become more acceptable," says Aeryn. "And beating them until they don't do it again usually works. I volunteer."

[cameronmitchell.livejournal.com]

"Jailing someone for minor crimes seems to be going overboard, but if you leave it unpunished it will just continue to happen. I don't get the impression that fines solve a lot either, people just seem to pay the fine and continue doing whatever the hell they want to. I think forcing them to do community service relating to the crime is actually one of the better options. So if someone litters, you force them to help clean up the streets." Cameron says.

[phases-of-kitty.livejournal.com]

"Any crime should have consequences," says Kitty. "But if we jail people for minor offenses, then our justice system gets bogged down with the petty criminals and doesn't have time to deal with people who are the big danger to society. I think minor offenses should be punished with community service, if possible, so that there's a greater benefit to society."

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

"Well, you are taking the rights of the individual into account, which is good. That individual probably shouldn't be yourself, but it's a good start!"

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

The Tick's antennae wiggled a little at the last bit Tick didn't hear. The wiggle indicated to Tick that he had better not use the follow-up question about what would be an appropriate punishment.

"Very good analysis, Aeryn!"

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

"That sounds very fair, Cam. Plus, it's an ironic punishment! Those are the best kinds of punishments!"

[cameronmitchell.livejournal.com]

"Irony is keen like a spoon, sir."

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

"Punishing a minor criminal by making them contribute to the Greater Good is a wonderful suggestion, Kitty! And it keeps the courts open for greater threats, like murderers and supervillains."

Catalog over here!

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory wanders into the class and takes a seat. When Professor Tick mentions the catalog, she pulls it out of her bag and holds it up (http://home.nc.rr.com/tuco/looney/acme/acme.html), indicating that anyone who wants to see it can.

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

"At the Table of Language, Irony is indeed the spoon. The soup spoon, actually, for it is Mighty!"

Re: Catalog over here!

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

[OOC: I didn't see this and made a thread for project discussion and the catalog a couple minutes after you posted this. You thwarted your superhero mentor! Emily's going to hear such bad things about Rory... :)]

Re: Catalog over here!

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

[ooc: Boo! And Emily's going to be focused on the fact that she's talking to a very large man dressed as a blue bug. Still figuring out how Rory's going to field that one.]

Re: Catalog over here!

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

[OOC: Tick could make himself look a little more presentable and wear a tie. That might take the edge off.]

Re: Catalog over here!

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

[ooc: The antennae may not go over so well, though. But if we can get away with explaining that Rover is a beachball, it might be easier than I'm expecting.]

[cameronmitchell.livejournal.com]

"Mightier than the sword," Cameron nods solemnly.

Re: Catalog over here!

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

[Tick could also wear a hat to hide the antennae. He received plenty of hats last week.]

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

"And it's better for eating soup than a sword is!"

[cameronmitchell.livejournal.com]

"Definitely, I'd hate to imagine cutting yourself like that."

Re: Catalog over here!

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

[The marshmallow hat looks like some Lor or Ror would own anyway!]

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

"Also, the soup would keep sliding off the blade!"

Re: Catalog over here!

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

[Tick is so going to offer Emily a Peep.]

[cameronmitchell.livejournal.com]

"Unless you manage to balance it just right so that it slides right into your mouth!"

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

"Or if it's not a flat sword, with some curvy bits on the blade."

Re: Catalog over here!

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

[I'm looking forward to tormenting my girl again. I'm just imagining what Emily would do after being offered a Peep.

I'm so mean to poor Rory. Hee.]

[cameronmitchell.livejournal.com]

"Now that would be nifty," Cameron has to confess.

Re: Catalog over here!

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

[I'm betting she'd wildly overreact in some way.

I suspect that nobody around here has more fun torturing their character than you. It's good stuff, though. :)]

Re: Catalog over here!

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

["Rory? What on earth is a Peep? And why is your professor wearing a blue bodysuit? And why does he keep calling you his sidekick? Is some kind of 'new age' thing?"

And I think that may be true. I'm giving her a full meltdown this afternoon. Whee! And inversely, as Becky, I get to make other characters vastly uncomfortable. Hooray!]

Re: Catalog over here!

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

[Having Emily yell at Tick is going to be the highlight of my weekend.

You are the most fun kind of twisted.]

[aka-vala.livejournal.com]

[aka-vala.livejournal.com]

*Vala stumbles in looking the worse for wear, but that's probably just because of the early hour*

Uh, Professor The Tick? Yeah, I was apparently in Locker 327 since... uh... Sunday... (uh, today's Thursday! Are you sure?!?) So, I guess I missed class.

Grabs an evaluation form (http://www.livejournal.com/users/bugofjustice/12266.html) and then goes over to peer at the ACME catalog with great interest...

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

"A Locker 327 absence is the most excuseable of all the types of absences. Don't worry about Tuesday, and take it easy today. Go ahead and just enjoy the discussion if you want, then get started thinking about your project."

[aka-vala.livejournal.com]

*Vala smiles gratefully at him*

Thanks, Professor The Tick! You're the keenest!

[can_be_more]

((I think they both need help.))

Re: Catalog over here!

[fates_jaye]

Jaye cackles looking through the catalogue.

And when she's gone, she cackles some more.

[aka-vala.livejournal.com]

[fates_jaye]

((*snerk*))

Re: Catalog over here!

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

Tick watched as Jaye walked away from the catalog. "I think she has an idea."

[2ls-in-oneill.livejournal.com]

[Honor system. Mainly because it involves less paper-work. Not to mention it's easy to bitch your way out of ticketable offenses such as those. Since so many people do it and nothing ever happens then when someone does get stopped they can say "You're only doing this because I'm (INSERT ANYTHING HERE)! That's profiling!" and depending on the cop (Most in Arizona and I've been assured, that a significant amount nation-wide) they'll just drop it with a warning because it's not worth the hassle and the cost of processing the ticket/fine is actually more then the cost of the ticket/fine itself.

Such. The. GEEK.]

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

[Yeah, that's what I figured happened in reality. I went to college in Downtown Chicago and jaywalking was just done, even in front of cops. It's kind of assumed that if there's nobody around, you can walk wherever. And if there is a car oncoming, you'd better hurry it up because no cop wants to investigate an idiot who got run over in the middle of the street.

In terms of the theoretical, though, I think the common community service suggestion above is good, it's just too much of a hassle to implement.]

[2ls-in-oneill.livejournal.com]

[I'm with you on the comm serv too, except for the fact that sometimes people try to challenge their comm serv sentences and then it goes to court and spends a lot of money. That and the fact that I know of several teachers and landlords who write off homework/sweeping up as an hour of comm serv. It's surprisingly easy to get around.]