Lehman College Criminal justice POL 217

part 1)Please read Jared Diamond Chapter 2 (the PDF on the Course Content section) about traditional justice in New Guinea and answer/ respond to the following questions.

-How is justice different in New Guinea than in western industrialized societies like the US, Canada and Europe?

-What were the consequences for the driver if the victims family did not accept his apology and peace offering?

-What is Jared Diamond’s critique of modern western justice systems?

-Which system is better for victims? Traditional justice, or modern western justice systems?

-What can the US and other countries learn from this example?

Part2) The summer of 2020 saw a surge in violent crime in NYC and nation wide and many competing theories emerged to explain this violence. Listen to the Podcast “A Surge in Shootings” from August 24^th, 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/24/podcasts/the-daily/gun-violence-new-york.html .

According to the podcast, what are the three competing explanations for what was driving the surge in violent crime in NYC that summer? Which of these theories do you find more convincing, and have you seen any evidence from news stories or your personal experience as to why this might be driving crime up? Do you feel that any of these theories is more or less compelling 2 years later?

Debates about the root causes of a rise or decrease in crime are important because they influence policy decisions about what the police, courts and government should do. What are the policy implications of the theory you find most convincing for the rise in crime and do you think that this will address the root issue?