Advanced Criminal Justice, Class 27, Period 1, 04.18.06

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

[OOC: Blah blah blah slow during day. This is my "Raid Wiki For Info" Week. Therefore, it's slighty dry and less wacky than usual. If this lecture hits any sore points for your character, it wasn't intentional. I was going to do this last week before I got sick, I swear! Class Info Post.]

"Hello, students!" The Tick said from behind his desk. "I hope you all enjoyed Master Kenobi's lecture last week. And if you had the chance to catch his sparring session with Anakin... well, it was keen!"

"Looking toward the end of the semester here, I want to let you know about your final exam. It will take place on May 2nd, two weeks from today and consist of five essay questions. It will use concepts that we talked about. And as a hint about one of the questions, I'll point you towards last week's newspaper. The thrust of the main article was whether or not Justice worked in Fandom. Those of you with good memories may recall that we've talked about that before. I would do some reflecting on your feelings on the subject by May 2nd."

"Oh, and if Callisto, Janet, Marty, and Logan could see me after class, that would be keen!"

"This week, we'll be talking about a few theories on Justice. Today we'll focus on the Restorative Theory, the Retributive Theory, and the Transformative Theory."

"Restorative Justice suggests that after a crime, the victim and/or their family can return to a condition where they are roughly just as good as they were before the crime. A burglary victim gets stuff back and eventually stops fearing another break-in. Meanwhile, the criminal can be reintegrated into society. They do community service, pay back their victims, and overall prove themselves an asset to the community. In the end, everyone returns to a happy place."

"Retributive Justice laughs at Restorative Justice and calls it names because it's just. that. bad. This is your 'eye for an eye' version of Justice. A killer gets death, a thief gets a hand chopped off, other kinds of criminals get other things chopped off... In this form of Justice, the victim gets to witness an approximation of what was done to them be done to the criminal."

"Transformative Justice is a kind of 'peacemaking' solution that ignores any comparisons between the lives of the victims and criminals before and after the crime. It looks at root causes and tries to fix any problems at the beginning, assuming that the criminal won't try to commit more crimes and the victims won't look for vengence. This theory is focused on corporate or environmental laws, but it can be applied to violent crimes."

"Personally, I think they all have a few good points, but don't quite work out as a whole. I'd like you to discuss your views on these theories. Feel free to pick one, or pick a couple of them apart and focus on some details."

"This week's metaphor is windows. The glass thingies you look out of, not the computer thingy. And for extra credit, let's go with something nice. Tell me what you're planning to do for summer."

"Okay, let's discuss!"

Comments

Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

What it says.

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

During Tick's talk, Angel was surprised to hear him ask Callisto and Logan to stsay after. He wondered what was up with that.

"I don't get Transformative Justice," Angel admitted. "Seems like it's something that only works in the abstract, and as long as no people are involved."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

"Well, it's used mainly for corporate and environmental crimes, so that's not far off," Tick said. "The theory is that if you make the right changes in the right place, then everything will work out, basically. I think. Even Wiki was confusing on that theory."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

Callisto meeped and sunk a little lower in her seat.

"Retributive justice is really the only kind we have back home."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[janet_fraiser]

"I'm kind of surprised transformative justice doesn't involve someone getting turned into a pig," said Janet.

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[can_be_more]

Aeryn's not showing off her hand. Because she's not explaining that she didn't get married after the party.

I don't think Transformative Justice actually exists," she says. "Once you're affected by a trauma, any trauma, I don't see how it's possible to go back to being the way you were."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory nodded at Aeryn. "And expecting that things will be exactly the same is unrealistic and a bad idea," she agreed.

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"I have to agree with Aeryn. Maybe it's good for preventing future crimes, but... that's crime prevention, not justice. How can a criminal learn or change if we just assume they won't do it again?"

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

Veronica nods emphatically at Aeryn's words.

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[fates_jaye]

"I'm not too sure about the reform thing, because I think people kind of inherently suck, but I'm kinda keen on the eye for an eye thing," Jaye says. "It makes for great movies."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

"What about the real world? Does eye for an eye work for you there?"

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[janet_fraiser]

Janet was here. On time, even.

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[oatmanspatient.livejournal.com]

Marty took note during the lecture and winced when Tick asked that he stay after class.

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker sailed a paper airplane over to Marty. Explanations of Delaware on offer. When is good for you?

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker was becoming more and more uncomfortable as the different types of justice were described. "Root cause analysis and transformative is good, I guess, except it leaves aside that sometimes people are evil and it's too late to change them. Restorative justice is the best you can hope for then." She paused. "Retributive runs into the problem of bringing in outside parties and starting whole new chains of vengeance and crime. But it's the most immediately emotionally appealing."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[emo-padawan.livejournal.com]

"I think that the instinctual reaction for most beings is to reach for retributive justice," Anakin said, "to make someone else hurt as much as you hurt." He thought of what Obi-Wan had said to him that weekend. "But that's not necessarily true justice--it can lead to an endless cycle of violence, rather than fixing the original problem."

He frowned. "I think that the Jedi try for transformative justice--nipping problems early before they become huge issues. In aiming for transformative, I think we probably actually achieve restorative more often that not."

He smiled at Professor Tick. "And Obi-Wan wanted me to pass along his thanks for such an interesting class."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

"Restorative Justice certainly isn't a bad thing to fall back on," Tick said. "And it was a pleasure to have Obi-Wan here! I'm glad he was able to make it!"

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Do you mean that you achieve restorative on a superficial level, in which people are just fine and dandy by all appearances?" Rory asked curiosly. "Because I don't see how restorative justice is even possible on an emotional or psychological level, at least not without a big, big passage of time."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[fates_jaye]

Jaye hisses, "Tell him I said hi!"

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[cameronmitchell.livejournal.com]

"I think that we could get the most benefit out of combining all three types of justice," Cameron said. "Although, retributive justice strikes me as something that's more meant to be a scaring tactic."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

Sam passed Cameron a note.

What did you want to do about prom? Going as a group, or just us? Also, formal or not formal dress?

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"I think Restorative Justice is a fallacy," Sam argued. "There's no way you can be made whole after some of those crimes--if your house is broken into, for example, you may get your things back, and you may get over the immediate fear, but your sense of safety, of protection from that violation...it doesn't ever go away."

"And if you've been a victim of something more personal," she said, sadly, thinking of Jolinar, "you live with it every day, even if the person who committed the crime has been forgiven, done their time in prison, and moved on."

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[actingltcrumpet.livejournal.com]

Archie didn't say anything during Sam's speech, but his jaw tensed and he nodded emphatically at several key points.

"Agreed," he finally said when she was done, in a very quiet voice. "After all, at what price does one buy back one's innocence?"

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge raises his hand.

"What about Justice where the criminals are stored in playing cards?"

Re: Talk, Take Notes, Pass Notes, Etc. [Class 27]

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

"That's talking about methods, Bridge. Today we're focusing on theories," Tick said. "Do you have any ideas how to apply these card prisons to the theories discussed?"