THIEVES SHOULD NOT BE JAILED, SAYS LAW EXPERTS

By: The Press Association

Published: The Guardian, August14, 2013;
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/aug/14/thieves-not-jailed-law-expert

Level of Difficulty: **

BEFORE YOU READ

·         What is the purpose of punishment?

·         How can those who commit minor offences be regained to society?

·         Do you think imprisonment is an effective way to do this?

·         Read the title. Now state initial reaction.

QUESTIONS

1.       Andrew Ashworth believes that imprisonment as a punishment should be reserved for……

2.       The reason for the above opinion is the fact that ……………………………………………………………….

3.       The alternative to imprisonment for pure property offences would be …………………………….

4.       The red line according to Asworth is  ………………………………………………………………………………….

5.       Why would fines and community service be better options for pure property offences?

6.       The two major advantages of applying Ashworth’s policy would be ………………………………….

7.       How would the victim of the crime benefit if Ashworth’s proposal were put into practice? Through …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

8.       What additional advantage do community sentences have? Look at the whole text to answer this question!

9.       Asworth claims it is vital to consider his proposal because …………………………………………………

THE FIRST WRITING TASK

Write a brief summary of the text based on the notes you made while reading. Remember a good summary needs to be short and concise. You will find an example posted under “Sample Essays”

THE SECOND WRITING TASK

Write a paragraph discussing to what extent you agree with the views expressed in the article. You will find an example posted under “Sample Essays”

THIEVES SHOULD NOT BE JAILED, SAYS LAW EXPERT KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

This text has the advantage of being simple and having a wow factor as it is off the beaten track. The main thesis is a very controversial and novel one, which will hopefully lead students to wish to talk. I firmly believe any teaching material should be intersting and informative as well and this text certainly fits the bill. One word of warning: the questions mostly concern implications and therefore the text requires careful reading.

1.       The most serious crimes including those of a violent, threatening or sexual nature

2.       For pure property offences, imprisonment is disproportionate; OR, prison is the UK’s most serious punishment

3.     Compensation or reparation for the victim and where the offence is sufficiently serious, imposing a community sentence

4.       Violence, threats or sexual assult

5.       They would be more effective and proportional and benefit the victim more

6.       Significantly reducing prison populations and saving millions of pounds each year

7.       Compensation and reparation

8.       They produce a much lower rate of reoffending

9.       Public finances are streched