Ashford University History of Criminal Law and Punishment Discussion
Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Pioneers in Criminology: The Historical Development of Criminology (Links to an external site.) and Evolution of Punishment (Links to an external site.). Additionally, watch 002 History of US Law and What Is the Law? (Links to an external site.)
Western societies have been punishing criminal actors since ancient Greece. This begs the question of whether or not punishment is an effective means of crime control and recidivist reduction. As you explore the balance of freedom versus security and the history of criminal punishment, be willing to think of new ways to address and deter criminal behavior.
- If your last name begins with the letters A through L: Detail the history of criminal law. List and explain the major forces that created U.S. criminal law. Provide an opinion of whether or not criminal law provides the most effective way to deal with crime and recidivism. Your post must weigh the challenge between keeping people safe and protecting individual liberties. Offer one or two suggestions for improvement to the current criminal law system within which we operate.
Guided Response: Review several of your classmates’ posts. As you respond to your classmates for this discussion, consider the fact that societies have been punishing people for crimes for millennia. Has the United States adequately deterred crime and/or reduced recidivism? Does punishment work in all cases? What are alternatives to punishment to reduce crime rates?
You must respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts, and at least one of your posts must be to a student addressing the prompt that you did not respond to in your initial, primary response. For example, if you responded to the history of punishment prompt, at least one of your two responses must be to a student who responded to the history of criminal law discussion board.
- Your responses must be at least 150 words of content and supported by a minimum of two scholarly and/or credible sources (i.e., classroom materials or reliable, outside sources).
- Support your responses with credible sourcing, either from the required readings this week, or from independent research that you conduct in the Ashford University Library or online.
- You are encouraged to post your required replies earlier in the week to promote more meaningful and interactive discourse in this discussion forum. Continue to monitor the discussion forum until 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) on Day 7, and respond with robust dialogue to anyone who replies to your initial post.
