Critical Thinking Questions:
1. Why is it important for laws to change as society changes? Provide an example of
a law that has changed as society has progressed. Use information from lesson
2.01 to guide your response.
It is important for laws to change as society changes because the values and norms of a
society, as society evolves, change. An example of a law that has changed as society has
progressed is the legalization of two human beings of the same gender to get married, a few
years ago to be homosexual was a crime, and now, it’s completely legal, at least in most
countries.
2. Why is the term "criminal" so broad in its definition? Use information from lesson
2.02 to guide your response.
Because the term criminal is very wide-ranging, a criminal can be a murderer, but it can also be
a scammer, someone who someone who commits tax fraud, etc. So, the fact that there are that
many types of criminals make this term so broad.
3. What is the role of law enforcement in a criminal investigation? Use the video in
lesson 2.03 to guide your answer.
The role of law enforcement in a criminal investigation is to collect evidence and information
about the case and begin to create a case. They’re the first ones to arrive at the crime scene, so
their job is to start working on the case and have enough information for when the case moves
to a prosecutor and the courts, they have it easier to solve the crime.
4. What decisions are made on behalf of a person who has been charged with a
crime once they reach the court system? Use information from lesson 2.03 to
guide your response.
They decide if the case is valid and if the case requires a jury or if the judge can decide, also
they determine if the accused criminal must wait for trial outside or inside of prison and finally
they appoint a lawyer if the person who can been charged with a crime can’t afford one.
5. Think about everything you have learned about the American justice system. This
includes: how laws are made, what determines that an action is a crime, and how
politics, society, and economics are involved. Do you believe that the laws the
United States are created and enforced in a fair manner? Use information from
Module 2 to guide your response.
I think that they are, I believe this because there are a lot of things that take place to create the
laws in the United States, and this makes that there is not only one side who is benefited by
their creation, even this there will always be laws that I think that aren’t fair, or that I don’t agree
with, but I think that the laws are created and enforced in a fair manner.