Retributive Justice or Restorative Justice?

GP Video and Articles

What is Crime?

Overview of Video

In the brief video on ‘What is Crime?’, the interviewee acknowledges the complexity of crime. Crime is a dynamic social construct that varies over time and place. As such, it has no universal consensus. 

Over the years, the definition of crime has expanded and contracted over time. For example, homosexuality was seen as a criminal act in may countries up till the 1960s. While the category of youth offenders has expanded over the years. In Britain, the age of youth offenders was lowered to 10 years old in 1988. Moreover, crime differs culturally too.

Therefore, with all of such tensions, it is difficult to pinpoint an exact definition of what constitutes crime and how to deal with crime.

GP Tutor's View

Crime is indeed a very complex concept that can never achieve universal consensus on its definition and implication. Across many cultures, there are varying interpretations of what constitutes crime and the severity of punishments for the act of crime. For example, in Thailand, insulting or making derogatory remarks towards the constitutional monarchy is considered as a severe crime that could remit a life sentence. This unique crime and punishment portrays the high regard and respect that citizens have for the King. In a way, it is a rulebook that is born out of the very social construct of Thai society. Therefore, I fervently acknowledge the views made by the interviewee that recognises the complexity and multidimensional nature of a simple question like ‘What is Crime?’

Open-ended Question

Is it possible to achieve universal consensus on the punishments for crime? 

Share with us if you agree or disagree? We appreciate that you can provide us at least two points on this issue.

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GP Class Activities

News Articles

Overview:

In our GP tuition, news articles would be provided to build up the current affairs knowledge of students. Students would be connected to real issues and learn to utilise these informative gems for their essay writing.

 

Classwork:

We will be making discussion on the following articles during our GP tuition classroom or online. The articles are as follow:

Death penalty more effective than life imprisonment | CNA

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/death-penalty-life-imprisonment-crime-deterrent-shanmugam-13204312

A conversation on life and death | Today Online

https://www.todayonline.com/big-read/big-read-capital-punishment-little-more-conversation-matter-life-and-death

Write a paragraph on how the death penalty is an effective deterrant of crime.

Flipside Notes

Overview:

What’s about Flipside? For these structured notes, questions about the issue would be brainstormed and various perspectives on the issue would be provided. These notes are crafted in a manner so that students can identify the determining factors of perspectives which would help them in their essay development.

 

Classwork:

Notes:

  1. Types of Crime and Punishment
  2. Motivations of Crime and Punishment
  3. Detrimental Impacts of Crime and Punishment
  4. Reasons against Capital Punishment
Essay Outline + Model Essay

Overview:

In our GP tuition, we are going through essay writing skills on how to create the structure for the following questions. Students need to understand how they can derive the key areas of writing and examples to apply in the context of this question. 

 

Classwork:

Essays:   

  1. Punishment, rather than rehabilitation is the main purpose of the justice system. Discuss.

  2. To what extent can crime in society be linked to the pressure of modern life?

Compre SAQ/ Summary/AQ

Overview:

In this part of the gp tuition, students attempt the comprehension and understand the requirements of the various types of question. Students are also taught on how to read, extract and express the answer to fulfill the requirements of the different type of the questions

 

Classwork:

Comprehension Summary/AQ: The cost of violence & Non-violence in the 21st Century

Skill Development

Overview:

This part of the lesson is to develop and upgrade the various essay writing skills and comprehension answering techniques.

 

Classwork:

Learning Content: