All questions are worth 20 points:
1. Victims sometimes have unrealistic expectations of the criminal justice system and become even more dissatisfied with the system when their recommendations are not accepted. If you were a victim advocate, how would you advise them of the realities?
2. Find a video of a victim presenting a victim impact statement in court. Based on the victim impact statement, identify the unmet needs of victims of crime and discuss the areas that need to be addressed.
3. How do you balance the safety of victims with the offender’s rehabilitation in a parole hearing? What are some of the unintended consequences of Megan’s Law and Jessica’s Law?
4. What are the strengths and limitations of the restorative justice model? In what ways do restorative and retributive justice differ?
5. Case Study: Review the case of Thurman v. City of Torrington (1984). How has the police response changed over the past 30 years? How would this case be handled if it happened today?
