ICE MELT: My Effort to Learn Tolerance: week 5

NOV. 8. THIS WEEK’S STORY:

The man in the photo is a good friend of mine. I respect him very much. Many years ago, he spent two years in prison. Today he is a blacksmith [someone who makes things from iron]. He is married to a wonderful wife and has 3 wonderful children.
My Russian friend is not ashamed about being in prison. He says he thinks of the time as like a “school”. It taught him many things about himself and about life.

When my friend left prison, he taught himself how to be a blacksmith. [He made the rose in the photo. It is made completely of iron.] Now he has his own blacksmith shop. He teaches anyone free of charge and gives work to many young men. There is an older man who works security at the blacksmith shop and is also the cook for the men. He makes them dinner every day. The older man was homeless before he was given work and a home at the blacksmith shop. The blacksmith shop is very successful. All the men can earn enough money to care for their families.

In 2009, my friend played a big part in a project between people in Russia and people in America. It was a project to celebrate 200 years of diplomatic relations [peace-making relations] between Russia and America. My friend and his men made a Bench of Friendship. The bench was very hard to make and took a lot of hard work. No one paid the men to make it. They just wanted to do something good. For one summer the bench was honored at the home [a national museum] of John Quincy Adams [see photo at left]. Adams was America’s first diplomat in Russia.

Now the bench is in a town in New Hampshire called Wolfeboro. It is the oldest summer resort in America. People from all over the world see the bench. They learn the story of friendship from a sign by the bench that tells the story.
What do you think? Can anyone in prison be taught to live better and contribute [add something good] to society? Or are there people who can never be helped? Is it right to help people who did wrong? ***

So now, with all this to consider [think about], here's your assignment for this week. Please leave your answers in the comments by Sunday, November 15th.

Team Government. This week please write the exact wording of your Criminal Law:
    1. what things people cannot do
    2. what will happen if people do wrong
    3. rights for prisoners

Team People. This week please work on the wording of your plan how to use prisoners as a resource:
    1. what things will you do to reform prisoners
    2. what demands will be made on them to help society while they're in prison
    3. rights for prisoners

Team Four Support. Please feel free to comment on the teams’ ideas or to add your own comments.

7 comments:

MeNovember 8, 2015 at 9:52 AM
FROM AIDA—
If someone does a bad crime like killing, we must kill that person. As a Muslim I think if someone kills a person willingly, the criminal must be killed by the governoment. If we take the criminal to the prison forever, it’s better to kill them instead of taking them to the prison. Allah says, if someone kills a person willingly, the governoment must kill them. Then the other people won’t commit those crimes again. If we arrest them and kill them, there won’t be any criminal in the country. For instance, China is a country which doesn’t have no narcotics in it’s country. It’s because when China’s government finds a person with a very few narcotics, even 1kg narcotics, then the China government executes all drug pedders and the people who brought it to the China. Right now China is a country which has no narcotics in it. I mean that if the government can do the things that is on their law so, there won’t be no criminal in the country. Afghanistan is a country which the government could never accommodate some of the laws in our country. For example, if someone commits a major crime, the government does not kill them. That’s why we have a lot of criminals in our country. Sudi Arabia is a country that accommodates lots of laws on their country. For instance, if someone kills a person so, the government kills the criminal. Right now there are a very few people who commit a major crime in Sudi Arabia.
Thank you,
Kindest regards, Aida
MeNovember 12, 2015 at 11:34 AM
Hello everyone! I thought it would be helpful for you to see one law from the Holy Koran. I found this on several web sites, but I realize it is still a translation. If any of our Muslim students know this to be wrong, please correct this. Here is the law regarding killing that I found. (PLEASE NOTE: this law also gives the choice to forgive.)
[6] And do not kill anyone whose killing Allaah has forbidden except for a just cause. And whoever is killed wrongfully (intentionally and not by mistake), we have given his heir the authority [to demand Qisaas, Law of Equality in punishment – or to forgive, or to take the Diyah (blood money)]. But let him not exceed the limits in the matter of taking life (i.e. he should not kill anyone except the killer). From the website Islaam.ca
--Mrs. Jeannie
AnonymousNovember 15, 2015 at 7:41 AM
1. Murder: death sentence or serve life term in prison
- If the criminal is mentally ill and if that clouded his/her judgement, then he/she would receive help and treatments in prison.
- If the victim's family agrees to a lesser degree punishment, the imprisonment term may be reduced.
2. Stealing: return the amount of the stolen item plus the amount that would cover the days the item was lost OR serve at least 5 years in prison
3. Abusing: depending on the victim's conditions, life term imprisonment OR imprisonment for the amount of years they've lived so far
- If the abuser is old, then there is a small chance of altering his/her behavior in prison. If the abuser is young, then there is a better chance of teaching the abuser the right things before he/she is released.
4. Cheating: If the crime is fraud, the criminal would pay back all the losses of the victim plus an amount that would cover the victim's time loss by coming into court. If the crime is cheating against your husband or wife, the cheater would pay all the fees related to that relationship such as divorce fees, child care fees, etc.
- These consequences may change if the victim forgives.

**Rights for prisoners: innocent until found guilty, if they are staying in this country, everyone including foreigners abide by the laws of this county, same human rights as non-criminals (freedom of speech, religion, etc.), no criminal tags associated with the person after release, no torture

Thank you!

Eunice Sohn
MeNovember 15, 2015 at 11:37 AM
WOW, Eunice! What creative thinking you brought to this week's assignment.
Thank you!
Mrs. Jeannie
Jan Helling CroteauNovember 15, 2015 at 5:34 PM
I enjoyed reading both Eunice and Aida's responses to the question posed by Mrs. Jeannie. I have thought deeply about this question and have had a few enlightening conversations with friends and family. This week I wondered: how do we go about using prisoners as a resource?
I recently heard a news article on National Public Radio highlighting an organization that uses prisoners to help train service dogs. I was impressed by the success of the program. The prisoners said that it changed their lives for the better. The dogs became useful to people who needed help. For example, people in wheelchairs or people who are blind use service dogs to help them with daily chores.
Eunice, you have some very interesting ideas and I can tell you also thought about Jeannie's question deeply.
Aida, your understanding of how various laws work in different countries is also interesting. Thank you both for commenting. I like reading your ideas. Keep up the good work!
Thank you,
Jan
UnknownNovember 16, 2015 at 7:19 AM
I, too, appreciate the thought behind your answers. Making laws that are just is very very difficult because of all factors: the people involved, the situation itself, and the cultural values of the particular society. Very few people have the wisdom to see the true essence of the situation. As Miss Jeannie says in Week Six, most religions are founded on the law of respecting and loving others as we love ourselves. I am also thinking of the great King Solomon, 10th Century King of Israel, who was asked to solve a problem of two women who both claimed a baby as their own. Solomon said, "I will cut the baby in half and you can each have a half." With that one woman cried out, "No. No." And of course, Solomon knew that she was the true mother. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all were so wise as to read the heart of others.
UnknownNovember 17, 2015 at 2:15 PM
Nancy Paulson

Well, thank you for making me think! I spent a good deal of time trying to come up with some solid ideas that I could contribute and like many of you I had difficulty responding. I actually came up with more questions than answers, like should we consider the age of the criminal when assigning penalties or what was the intent of the criminal: did they steal meat from the market to feed their child or to sell it for money?
I appreciated that Eunice considered a prisoner innocent until found guilty and that a mentally ill prisoner would have concessions made for them. I also thought it was great that Eunice gave attention to victims’ rights.
Aida justified her positions with examples in her reply. Thank you for your thoughtful replies!
Here is just one more thought: Do you think the criminal justice system has an obligation to train a prisoner in a job he or she can perform when released from prison? Do you think this would help the released prisoner become a contributing member of the community and avoid a return to crime?

Thank you for reading

Mrs. Nancy