1) Law and justice, What are they and what is the difference? Which is most important?

2) Most of us can agree that law is supposed to bring order, predictability and stability to society.(2) If that is true then what is justice supposed to accomplish? When a crime is committed, the offender is tried in the name of the Society (State vs. John Doe.) When the offender is convicted and punishment meted out, society feels "justice" has been done if the punishment is sufficiently severe. How does the victim feel? Does the retribution the society extracts, trump the restoration the victim requires? Given the likelihood that the punishment will involve incarceration and the reality that many released offenders re-offend upon their release, is there justice for society or the individual victim here? Is law institutional and justice individual?

4) After reading the Module on "From Theory to Policy," (Content/Global Resources) what theory best expresses your current view as to why people commit crimes? Put in its broadest terms, do you think that crime is MOSTLY a function of factors in the individual criminal, or is crime MOSTLY a function of social conditions/factors? Choose ONE position and explain and support your choice. Both is not a response.