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SAGE Journal User Guide

Journal Article 3.1: Tonry, M.  (2009).  Explanations of American punishment policies.  Punishment and Society, 11(3), 377-394.  doi: 10.1177/1462474509334609

1.  According to Tonry (2009), what are some of the reasons given to explain the state of America’s punishment policies and practices today?  Provide a brief critique of these proposals.

2.  How has American politics as well as the larger American public adopted a paranoid style ideology?  Do you believe this is true?  What are some ways to alleviate paranoia and how do you think this will benefit the criminal justice system?

3.  Tonry (2009) also cites a Manichean philosophy stemming from Protestant Fundamentalism as a major influencing factor on crime control policies.  Discuss how and why this philosophy became so embedded into legislative practices.

4.  What is the effect of obsolete constitutional arrangements as well as American race relations on crime control policies?  What does Tonry (2009) conclude?  How can we learn from crime control policies in other countries?

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Journal Article 3.2: Knowles, H.J. (2011).  A dialogue on death penalty dignity.  Criminology and Criminal Justice, 11(2), 115-128.  doi: 10.1177/1748895811398457

1.  How is the concept of dignity relevant to discussions of capital punishment?  Do you believe dignity is an inalienable right despite its specific exclusion in the United States Constitution?  Because it is not included in the Constitution, should it still be included in death penalty judicial discussions? 

2.  What are the three main types of dignity as discussed by Knowles (2011)?  How does each differ from the other?  How are they the same?

3.  How can dignity be use to argue for the death penalty?  How can it be used to argue against it?