Debate: Is It Fair to Send People to Jail for Not Paying Fines?
Sending someone to jail because they can’t pay a debt is against the law. But often courts in the United States imprison people who cannot pay court fines. For example, homeless people can be ticketed for sleeping in a park and then put into prison for not paying the fine. The city of Colorado Springs is stopping this practice. The city is also paying people who have previously been held in jail under these circumstances. Listen to hear more about this new policy and debate the pros and cons with your students.
Read MoreDebate: Can Giving Cash Ease Poverty?
In the fight against global poverty, there have been a lot of experiments. Organizations have tried to give seeds, job training, or education to help move people out of poverty. In a rural village in Western Zambia, a small but steady stream of cash was given to people who needed it. Giving the people money with no strings attached has resulted in incredible results. Listen to this story and debate: Can giving cash ease poverty?
Read MoreCURRENT EVENT | January 16, 2018
Being homeless means continually wondering what you will eat and where you will sleep at night. In some cases this means homeless people break laws by sleeping in public spaces because there isn’t room at a shelter. In Texas, community courts have been established to help homeless people manage tickets they have gotten for breaking the law. In exchange for waiving the tickets for public sleeping, they take part in community service. Listen to learn what local people are trying to do to help rather than hurt those living on the street.
Story Length: 6:14
© 2017
11/14/2017
https://app.listenwise.com/students/events/1049-some-homeless-people-break-laws-just-trying-to-get-by
Classroom Discussion Themes