Digital Lesson

Essential questions:
• How does crime affect people—both the criminals and the victims?
• What does it mean for a punishment to “fit the crime”?
• What is justice?

Summary:
In this lesson, students will read three Scope articles and watch a video that all share the theme of crime and punishment.

Main objectives:
• to develop a nuanced understanding of the word justice
• to compare and contrast real and fictional stories of crime and punishment
• to participate in class and group discussions
• to write a reflective essay

Materials:
• the April 4, 2011, issue of Scope
• video clip
• quotation
• writing prompt

1. Discussion
Duration: 10 minutes
Write the following quotation on your whiteboard:


As a class, discuss what this quotation means. What is justice? How might a person be unjust (dishonest, rude, cruel, etc.)? Brainstorm a few definitions of justice. Aside from justice of the law—which is punishment for those who commit crimes—what other types of justice are there? Write students’ ideas on your whiteboard and ask students to copy this list in their notes. Refer to the dictionary definition of justice as needed.

2. Class Reading
Duration: 30 minutes
Project our gothic-horror play, The Picture of Dorian Gray, on your whiteboard. (Students should follow along in their individual magazines.) Tell students that they are about to read a story with an unjust protagonist. After reading each scene, ask students to point out any examples of unjust behavior in that scene and how that behavior affects others. You or your students should use the highlighter tool to highlight each example on your whiteboard.

After reading the play, discuss the following questions:

• How is Dorian unjust? (He breaks the law when he commits murder, but he is unjust in other ways as well. He is cruel, he lies, he is a hypocrite, he turns his friends into drug addicts, etc.)
• What causes Dorian to lead a wicked life? (He thought the painting freed him from consequences. He thought he would not be punished.)
• How do Dorian’s crimes affect others? (He is cruel to his girlfriend, leading her to commit suicide; he murders Basil; he gets his friends into serious trouble; etc.)
• Do you think most people would act like Dorian if they knew they would never be punished? (Answers will vary.)
• Does Dorian ultimately get away with his wickedness? Explain. (He becomes paranoid and guilty; he brings about his own demise when he stabs the painting and dies.)
• What do you think the author is trying to say about justice? (Answers will vary, but students may suggest: Eventually, your wrongdoings catch up with you.)
• Think about the Augustine quote and the definitions of justice you brainstormed. Do you think justice was served in the case of Dorian Gray? Do you think his ultimate punishment fits his crimes? Why or why not? (Answers will vary.)
  

3. Small Group Reading
Duration: 30 minutes
Tell students they are about to watch a video of one of America’s most notorious gangsters: Al Capone. Explain that the video shows Capone on the day he was sentenced to prison.

After watching the video, ask:

• What did you notice about Capone’s expression? (He is smiling; he looks satisfied.)
• Does this surprise you, considering that he has just been given a jail sentence? (Answers will vary.)
• What else is going on in the clip? How do others behave toward Capone? (There are lots of reporters and chaos, camera flashes, etc. He seems like a celebrity.)

Now divide students into small groups to read “Catching a Killer.” As they read, they should take notes on how Capone’s crimes affect others—including his victims and law enforcement officials—as well as how Capone is ultimately punished. When they finish reading, students should discuss the following questions (remind them to consider the video clip as well):

• Does Capone remind you of Dorian Gray in any way? (They both thought they could get away with anything—Dorian because the painting took the punishment for his crimes and Capone because he could bribe, intimidate, or kill anyone who got in his way. Even on the day of his sentencing, he doesn’t seem worried—he is smiling.)
• Does Capone’s punishment fit his crimes? Why or why not? Was justice served in the case of Al Capone? (Answers will vary, but students may say yes, because even though he was tried for a lesser crime than murder, he still went to jail; or no, because he should have served a life sentence for murder.)

Invite each group to share its answers with the class.

4. Individual Reading
Duration: 45 minutes
(also makes good homework!)
Have students read “Can Violent Criminals Help Troubled Teens?” on their own. After reading, students should answer the following questions individually, in groups, or as a class:

• How do scared-straight programs support the idea that the threat of punishment stops people from committing crimes? (Kids find out what prison is like. When they see how awful this punishment is, they won’t commit crimes themselves.)
• How does the idea behind scared-straight programs compare with those of Dorian Gray and Al Capone, who thought they were above punishment? (It suggests that the threat of a terrifying punishment can stop a person from committing a crime. Both Dorian Gray and Al Capone were not threatened by the idea of punishment—Dorian because the painting absorbed the consequences of Dorian’s behavior and Capone because he felt untouchable. Take away the threat of punishment, and a person might become unjust.)
• Do you think the threat of punishment is enough to stop a person from committing a crime? Explain. Think about the controversy you just read about. (Answers will vary.)
• Do you think the threat of punishment is enough to stop a person from treating others unjustly? Why or why not? (Answers will vary.)
• If you knew there would be no consequences for your actions, would you behave any differently than you do? Why or why not? (Answers will vary.)
• Was justice served in Sahn’s case? Did his punishment fit his crimes? Hint: Think about what happens to him at the end of the article. (Answers will vary.)
  

5. Reflective Essay
Students demonstrate their understanding of justice by writing a reflective essay in response to one of the essential questions: 1. What is justice? 2. How does crime affect others—both the criminals and the victims? 3. What does it mean for a punishment to fit the crime? They should draw on their analysis of the three stories from Scope, as well as the quote, the video clip of Al Capone’s arrest, and their own opinions.