In the following link there is an article about a judge who likes to "think out side of the box" and give unique rulings. In this case he told Spanish speaking defendants that they need to learn English or go to jail. Since we know that it takes awhile to learn language and it can be extremely hard how do you feel about his ruling? Do you think it is right for their crimes? If you were a judge would you use your power to get more people to learn English? Think of these questions as you read. It is diffidently a unique article!!
Judge's Ruling
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15 comments:
I think that it is unfair to tell someone they need to learn another language or they will go to jail. Learning a language has nothing to do with what they men did and seems unnecessary. I do, however, think that making them get a full time job is a good idea. Also, having a drop-out complete high school makes sense to me as well and is not as "outside the box."
In my opinion, it is absolutely ludacris to have someone placed in jail for not being able to speak the language that courtroom deems appropriate, or basically English. This article would suggest that our court systems are nationalistic bias, that everyone is infact not given a fair trial, and even worse, that power can be used tyrannically. Having a drop out complete high school is a very good idea, and making sure that criminals get full-time jobs or go to school is a not bad either. However, to basically imprison someone who already knows one language and is currently learning another, which would probably make them smarter than judge, is a shallow action.
One the one hand, I think it is a cool solution, but I have to agree that it gives the impression that the U.S. doesn't offer fair trials -- for what do we have in the end??
In the beginning, we had three criminals who did not speak English.
Our outcome will be three criminals who do speak English!
The best thing might be to send non-native criminals out of the country back to where they have come from, or to reform them by punishment. I doubt they will change their unethical habits by changing their language, although this would be a nice theory, of course!
One might argue they get a better education, resulting in better jobs, and in a lack of need to be criminals when they learn English by judicial force - but to research this topic would be very risky. What if not? Possessing the host country's language might even aid them in their illegal doings....
Thanks for posting this interesting link. I would like to know whether those three men really improved after the given time.
I think it would be absolutely crazy to send someone to jail simply because they didn't speak English. However, I pose the question of whether a person, who accidentally commits a crime because they don't speak English. For instance, what if a Spanish speaking person was at a magazine sign and the sign said that the magazines were free if you bought a t shirt. However, the Spanish speaker thought the t-shirts were just free and took one. The person did commit a crime...but should they go to jail?
I believe that the judges ruling was very interesting. I don't think it was very fair, but I think that it may help their situation. The people charged are young and they need to do all they can to improve their future. So instead of sending them to jail and when they get out they go right back to where they started, they judge is giving them a chance to improve their lives and get a fresh start. If they are in America there is no reason why they should learn English. I am tired of people trying to come into this country and forcing us to learn their language. If they are going to come to the United States then they should learn English if they plan to stay. These young men need to improve their lives and the judge's ruling helps them do this. It may seem unfair at first, but in the long run it will be very helpful to them. If they don't plan on staying in the US then I can see how it would be very unfair. Also forcing someone to learn a language can be unfair as well. I am on the fence really, but I think it would be more beneficial if they would learn the language. However, if they really wanted to learn the language then they could teach themselves while they are in jail. The judge is giving them the chance to learn on their own time outside of jail so they can still live their lives while carrying out their sentence.
While I appreciate that the judge was looking for a way to better the men by promoting education, the fact that he insisted on them learning English is absolutely uncalled for. The judge has a responsibility to uphold the laws of our country by giving fair and just sentences. It is in no way illegal or even wrong to not know English. He is helping to create a poor reputation for America.
The government has no business telling people what language to speak. This means that it cannot make people learn English. It should not make those who speak another language learn English. It does not have the power to make English the official language. But by the same token, it should not make it easy for those who do not speak the common language. It should be left entirely up to the individual. If the person can live well speaking only Spanish, let him. If he finds that it would be easier to function in our culture if he learned English then he should do that. Please keep the government out of our business.
Bryan Norbut
I am all for creative sentencing, especially in terms of youth-related crimes. Our jails are overflooding with prisoners anyways;and, often, this cycle of going to jail, getting out, and committing a crime again proves to be counterproductive. In this case, I think it may be a little ambitious to make them learn English, but i do see value in the ruling. By holding them accontable to learn English and earn a GED, at least in some way they will be better educated and less likely to become repeat offenders. The fact that they were caught in an attempted robbery demonstrates that they are desperate; by showing them alternate ways of living through education, I think that this kind of ruling will have a better chance of making a difference than just throwing them in jail.
It is unfair to say that the judge is wrong in the sentencing--- his ruling is in the end going to better the lives of the men... if they are spending time learning whether it is a new language or a science class is it something that is positively mind engaging and the defendants will not be out on the streets selling drugs. Being bilingual will place these men instead ahead of "the crowd" and open up many opportunities in the future. GO judge!
I have to agree that the judge was more out of line then he was out of the box. Perhaps he should try to learn Spanish before he makes someone learn English. It is not easy to learn a new language and it takes years to do so. I think the judge just likes the publicity.
I think that the getting a job part was a very fair judgement and learning how to read, write, and speak English would definitely be a major part in doing so. As far as do one or the other, it seems a little odd, but it is something that they will benefit from and hopefully keep them off the streets or in jail later.
I think jail should be a punishment but also I hope it would be a way to improve a person's life. I think maybe the judge felt that the person was maybe doing something wrong because he didn't have the skills to get employment. So I feel that the judge ordering him to learn English was hopefully helpful.
This is judge is making a mockery of the United States of America judicial system. Courtrooms is a respectable instuition that should be taken seriously. Rulings should not be radical in any sense and everyone deserves a fair trail.
This is ridiculous! Judges shouldn't make someone learn another language as a punishment. I agree with Dr. Voss here, a criminal is a criminal,
English speaking or not.
--bonnie
I don't think it's right to enforce a certian language.
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