11.7 Going Deeper
Elizabeth B. Pearce
Having read and thought about justice from a variety of lenses, this page has some resources for you.
First, there are some resources that the authors used but could not fit into the chapter. If there was something that really piqued your interest and made you want to learn more, it may be listed in this table. This is also a resource for students who may have an assignment to research a particular topic or who need to identify a topic for a final project. Scan through “Want to Learn More?” if you are interested.
Next, you will see a set of reflective questions. You may be assigned these questions as a chapter review, or perhaps you will be using them as discussion questions in class. These questions are designed to help you apply the chapter concepts, develop your sociological imagination, reflect, and use an equity lens. Look over the “Reflective Questions” if you’d like to explore your own thinking more thoroughly.
After that, you will see the same list of key terms that appeared at the start of the chapter. They may help you with your additional exploration or research.
Finally, some chapters include activities that the instructor may use in the classroom.
Want to Learn More?
- If you would like to more clearly understand the structure and interrelationships of the government and justice systems, these openly licensed and free texts are useful:
- Learn more about definitions and philosophy of justice with What Is Justice? Crash Course Philosophy #40, a 10-minute video.
- For recent history and up-to-date changes about cannabis legality, consult the Cannabis in the United States page here.
- Learn more about the Osage Indian murders here.
- Want to know more about the Say Her Name movement? This is the place.
- Click here to read more of the personal stories from the National Immigration Law Center.
Reflective Questions
- How is justice typically defined? How does it apply to families in the United States?
- What are some examples of these kinds of justice that you have read about in this chapter (or other parts of the textbook)?
- Procedural
- Distributive
- Retributive
- Restorative
- What do the founding documents of our country tell us about justice?
- How do race, ethnicity, gender, immigration and socioeconomic status intersect to create differing experiences with justice?
- Reflect on the ways that the criminalization of poverty affects families.
- Which chapters by the student authors (Heather Denherder, Alexis Castenada-Perez, Christopher Byers, and Carla Medel) can you relate to your own life or observations?
- In what ways has your family experienced justice and injustice? What topics would you add to this chapter?
Key Terms
- Criminalization: the act of making an activity or person illegal by making their activity a criminal offense.
- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): a U.S. immigration policy that allows individuals who arrived in the United States as children to remain and work