Should a defendant be forced to take medication in order to be competent to stand trial. A

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Question:

Should a defendant be forced to take medication in order to be competent to stand trial. A 2008 review of the twelve largest states indicated that the number of accused felons that were declared by the trial courts to be mentally incompetent to stand trial had substantially increased. It is estimated that is costs approximately $250 million a year to treat individuals in state mental hospitals who are considered as mentally incompetent to stand trial. In the case of Sell v United States, the court placed restrictions on the lower court regarding this issue. In the case ofSell v United States, the U.S. Supreme Courtplaced restrictive measureson the right of a lower court to order the forcible administration ofantipsychoticmedication on an incompetent defendant for the sole purpose of making them competent and able to be tried. Should we force defendant's to take medication for the sole purpose of holding a criminal trial or should we continue to hospitalize them until they regain competence. What about death row inmates who are incompetent awaiting trial? Should we force them to take medication to regain competency?Why or why not?

Source:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMREhGn-Ifc

Part 2:

Police community relations become headline news when an officer unjustifiably kills someone in the community. On the opposite side, it also becomes headline news when officers also shoot someone justifiably. In this case, Police Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown, an 18 year old African American male. The shooting sparked unrest in the community which resulted in both peaceful and violent protests. Looting and vandalism continued for over one week. On November 24, 2014, Louis County Officials announced that a grand jury had declined to indict Ferguson, MO., Police Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting of Michael Brown, who subsequently died as a result of the shooting. Protests erupted in 170 cities in the U.S. as a result of this shooting.

There are two videos, the first one is a two minute video that preceded the shooting. The second video is a discussionabout how this incidenteffected the community. Click on the links below and watch both videos, then answer the following questions:. How did this shooting effect the relations police have with the community? Was the shooting justified or could the officer have used a less than lethal tactic to arrest unarmed Mr. Brown? What do you think can be done to restore positive community relations with police inFegursonor in other communities in the U.S.?

Source:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGZUAr97TOY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqd2HxG5TAQ

Part 3:

The Three Strikes Law (and you're out) laws provide lengthy terms of anyperson convicted of three felony offenses, even if the third crime is relatively trivial. The law is applied differently in different state jurisdictions. Some require all three felony convictions to be for violent crimes in order for the mandatory sentence to be pronounced, whereas others provide enhanced sentencing for any third felony conviction as long as the first two felonies were deemed to be either violent or serious, or both. In two well-known California cases, defendants received life sentence for (a) stealing a slice of pizza and (b) stealing chocolate chip cookies. The pizza thief Jerry Dewayne Williams had his sentenced reduce to "only six years" for a slice of pizza. Is it fair to give someone a life sentence for a petty crime merely because she or he has prior convictions? Is this an appropriate sentence? What changed in 2012 regarding the 3 strikes law. Please research the change and discuss it. Watch the video below and answer the question.

Source:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WADWiJwR-tg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJotrsvQbNU

Part 4:

The population of elderly prisoners in the U.S. has increased by more than 1400 percent since 1981. Three decades ago, American prisons housed fewer than 9,000 prisoners age 55 and older; today, that number stands at 125,000. By 2040, the elderly prisoner populationmay top 400,000. The elderly prisoner is vulnerable to victimization and requires special attention when it comes to medical treatment, housing, nutrition, and institutional activities. The care of the elderly is extremely expensive. For example, the average cost of housing an inmate over 60 is $70,000 a year which is three times the average cost for other prisoners. Inmates over 50 are also more likely to have health ad mental health problems thannoninstitutionalized Americansbecause they often come from poor backgrounds, have a greater likelihood of drug and alcohol abuse, and have more restricted access to health care. Should they be housed in traditional prisons, no matter what they have done in the past? Would community-based institutions be a more suitable alternative? why or why not? What type of offenders would qualify for community based institutions?

Source:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXnQz2CqzYg