1. To support his argument that poverty contributes to crime, George Winslow offers information on national crime rates and economic trends throughout the twentieth century. In contrast, Eli Lehrer, in arguing that reducing crime can alleviate poverty, provides information on nine small neighborhoods and how economic trends have affected crime rates in the 1990s. Whose use of evidence do you find most persuasive, and why?
2. Daphne Lavers contends that media violence may incite real-life violent crime while Maggie Cutler argues that real-life experiences are much more important in determining whether an individual becomes prone to violence. Which viewpoint comes closest to your own views? Could both viewpoints be right? Explain your answer.
3. Dan P. Alsobrooks believes that the criminal justice system should target drug dealers and abusers because of the harm that drug abuse does to individuals and society. The Sentencing Project, on the other hand, argues...