2 posts IH

2 Discussion Posts (300 each) + 4 Response to 2 other student posts (200 each) (2 response per post)

Post 1

Homelessness, Drug Use and Social Exclusion

Your Task:

Step 1: Watch the film Through a Blue Lens 

Step 2: Answer the following questions:

1. Life course theorists have found that people who engage in crime for prolonged periods throughout their lives often experience traumatic events early on.  Using examples from the film discuss how different events in the lives of the film’s participants have impacted their homelessness and addiction.  What is it about their lifestyle and life choices that impacts their homelessness?

2. As discussed in our lesson material, in some cases, passing laws can act as deterrents for certain types of crime.  Given what you know about deterrence, do you think laws that prohibit and criminalize drugs or legislation like the Safe Streets Act would help stop the film’s participants from engaging in drug use or living on the streets?  Explain why or not you think these individuals would be deterred from using drugs.

Post 2

Police Misconduct

Your Task:

Step 1: Watch the film the Contract – Warning – this film contains some graphic imagery including the police shooting a young man.  Skip ahead to the 2 minute mark to avoid seeing this footage. 

Step 2: Answer the following questions: 

Imagine you have been hired by the City of Chicago to create a policy that addresses the problems within the City’s police department (police brutality, corruption, bullying of whistleblowers, the handling of citizen complaints etc).

1. What would your policy focus on?  Would you attempt to change the organizational subculture or eliminate the “bad apples”?

2. Do the police need more training, higher pay and/or better leadership?

3. What obstacles might you encounter when implementing your policy?