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Northern Essex Community College

Module 9 Prep Activity

Review the activity overview, learning objectives, directions, and submission expectations before submitting your work.

Overview

This activity is designed to help you examine how sentencing decisions are made and why achieving fairness in sentencing can be challenging. You will identify factors that influence sentencing outcomes and consider how those factors may contribute to disparities or perceived injustice at trial. The activity also asks you to reflect on your own views regarding criminal sentencing and what you believe constitutes fairness. By researching real sentencing examples, you will analyze how legal, social, or situational factors may lead to outcomes that appear unfair. The goal is to encourage critical thinking about equity, discretion, and consistency within the sentencing process.

Learning Objectives

(These objectives support the prep activity and are not the questions to be answered.)

  • LO1: Discuss the sentencing process. (SLO3)
  • LO2: Examine the factors associated with fair sentencing in criminal cases. (SLO3)
Prep Topic

After completing this week’s assigned readings, prepare to participate in an in-class discussion examining fairness and consistency in criminal sentencing.

Before coming to class, prepare a bulleted list (not full paragraphs) that includes:

  • Five factors that may influence or prevent fair and equitable sentencing.
  • Your understanding of the primary goals of criminal sentencing.
  • Two criminal cases in which you believe the sentence was unfair, either because it was too lenient, too severe, or influenced by another factor.
  • A brief explanation of why you believe each sentence was unfair.
  • At least three arguments supporting judicial discretion in criminal sentencing.
  • At least three arguments supporting the use of structured sentencing guidelines to promote consistency and fairness.
  • Which approach you currently find more persuasive, and why.
  • One question or observation you would like to discuss with your classmates.
Acceptable & Ethical Use of AI
  • Use AI to help you organize and clarify common factors that influence criminal sentencing outcomes, supporting your understanding before identifying which factors may prevent fair sentencing.
  • Use AI to assist you in structuring your analysis of sentencing examples by helping you think through why certain outcomes may appear unfair based on legal, social, or situational factors, before writing your response.
Directions

Please read all instructions carefully before submitting your prep activity.

  • Your prep should be no longer than one page.
  • This is not a paper; it should consist of concise talking points and bullet statements for our in-class discussion.
  • An abstract is not required.
  • Sources are not required.
  • Focus on key concepts, analysis, and examples that will help guide classroom discussion.
  • Do not overthink this activity. A simple list of well-developed talking points is sufficient.
Submission Guidelines
  • Submit your prep activity through the designated submission area.
  • Accepted formats include Word or PDF unless otherwise specified.
  • Review the grading rubric before submitting your work.
  • Submissions are checked using both a plagiarism checker and AI detection software.
  • Direct quotations should not exceed 15% of the total submission.
Important Reminder

Important: All work must be your own. AI may be used only in the limited and ethical ways described above. Using AI to write your submission is considered academic dishonesty. This activity is intended to prepare you for class discussion, so focus on creating your own talking points and analysis.