Critical Thinking Worksheet: Crime and Punishment

Critical Thinking Worksheet: Crime and Punishment

Use the summary of the news article on crime and punishment to answer the questions below.

1. State the problem as simply and clearly as you can.

Doris X was arrested at the age of 19 for being caught selling heroin to an under covered cop, and was sentenced to 10-20 years behind bars. After only 8 months of serving her sentence she plotted an escape, and was not captured again until 32 years later after the matching of her finger print from her licenses to the finger print from the prison. She was then escorted back to Michigan to finish her sentence, and now her family has submitted a plea for clemency to the governor of Michigan.

2. Describe the values and point of view of Doris X.

Doris X realizes that she has done wrong in her past and accepts it, but now she is now a clean, responsible, and caring human being that just got caught doing wrong during her childish and rebellion years of her life. After her escape from prison, Doris tried her best to live the best life that she could, while constantly looking over her shoulder making sure her past wasn’t catching up with her. She taught her children how to be better than her, and trust that they will say ‘no’ to drugs. Doris X is not selfish and has her family and friends interest and well-being ahead of her own.

3. Describe the values and point of view of her husband.

Her husband has seemed to be very calm and accepting of Doris since he has found out about her past. He thinks of Doris as the love of his life, and regardless of her past, he still thinks of Doris as compassionate and one of highest integrity. He knows that she is a completely different person that who she was then and that’s why he submitted a plea for clemency.

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