Criminal Justice debate motions (page 3)

When police are put on trial for alleged instances of a violent wrongdoing, this House would decrease the burden of proof to the balance of probabilities.

Oxford IV · 1

This House would prohibit the use of predictive algorithms in criminal trials

Cambridge IV · 4

This House would allow individuals to sue the government when the government has failed to provide a basic standard of living.

Cambridge IV · Novice_Final

This House Would never offer a reduced sentence in return for information relating to other crimes

Cork IV · 3

THW allow plaintiffs to sell to third parties their right to sue.

Tilbury House IV · 1

In post conflict societies, This house would grant amnesty to perpetrators of crimes rather than seeking prosecutions

Birmingham IV · 4

TH, as a police officer in the United States who witnesses a minor non-violent crime being committed by an African American individual, would refrain from arresting that individual - Grand Final

NZ Easters 2016 · Open_Final

THBT criminal defendants who hire private counsel should not be afforded the right against self-incrimination at trial.

HWS Round Robin 2016 · 3

This House Believes That it should be a criminal offence to make comments which could promote hatred against people of particular races, religions, disabilities, sexualities or gender identities

WSDC 2016 · Round 6 (impromptu) · World Schools Debating Championships

THW prohibit the media from reporting on the mental illness of those accused of crimes

Malaysia WUDC 2015 · 4

THBT judges should deliberately misinterpret constitutions to protect important liberties

Malaysia WUDC 2015 · Masters_2

THBT men's and women's prisons that are close to each other should have co-ed activity time including sex rooms.

NorthAms (@ NYU) · 1

(paraphrased) THW ban automation

Rotterdam Open · Open_Final

THW (partially) staff the police through a rotating National Service.

Norton Rose Fulbright Warwick IV · 3

THW criminalise the use and creation of unauthorised anonymous communication providers and network browsers (with info slide)

DWF Manchester IV · Open_Semis

THW allow single parents convicted of crimes to raise their children in prison

Cardiff Schools 2015 · 1

THW not give awards to music or film stars who have committed violent crimes

Cardiff Schools 2015 · Open_Final

THW hold govrenment officials criminally responsible for severe harm to citizens resulting from grossly negligent public policy.

NAUDC (@ Ithaca College) · 6

THR "True Crime" entertainment. (e.g. Making a Murderer, American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson, Serial, etc.)

NAUDC (@ Ithaca College) · Open_Finals

THW grant prison wardens the right to extend prison sentences as a punishment (with info slide)

Cardiff Open 2015 · 2

THW allow long-time cheated spouses to sue the third party for damages.

Copenhagen Open · 5

THW disallow exclusive private arbitration for contracts between corporations and individuals.

HWS Round Robin · 3

THBT nearby mens and womens prisons should set up regularly scheduled inter-prison activities, including the provision of private rooms for sexual intercourse.

Cape Town Open · 8

THW ban convicted criminals from holding elected office

SSE Riga Debate Academy · 4

TH, as police forces, would accept applicants with a criminal record.

English Open 2015 · 1

This House would heavily financially incentivise companies to take current prisoners as interns or apprentices

SOAS Open 2015 · 1

This House would disproportionately hire African Americans in the US police force

SOAS Open 2015 · 4

THW allow victims to significantly reduce the sentence of their wrongdoers.

Rijeka Open · 3

TH believes that it is legitimate for individuals to punish people they deem to have committed online harassment by revealing their identity online.

Vienna EUDC 2015 · 8

TH would require all defendants in criminal cases to be represented only by state-employed lawyers.

Vienna EUDC 2015 · Open_Semis

THBT the police should work with hacktivists

Hart House IV · 2

THBT criminal justice policy should be outsourced to technocrats instead of elected representatives.

KCL IV · 4

THBT law enforcement organisations should never provide incentives to gang members to inform on their superiors (e.g. plea bargains or monetary rewards)

SOAS IV · 2

This house would end penalty enhancements for hate crimes.

Oxford IV · 3

THW accept 'I was only following orders' as a defence in war crimes trials

Oxford IV · ESL_Semi

THW enforce Ulysses contracts

Guindon Cup (University of Ottawa) · Open_Finals

TH, with the exception of news reporting, would not allow anyone to publish or profit off accounts of violent criminals' crimes.

McMaster Pro-Am · 4

THW abolish all publicly accessible sex offender registries

Brad Smith Debate Tournament 2015 · Novice_Final

THW ban plea bargaining

Brandeis IV · 1

THBT African Union states should withdraw from the International Criminal Court and set up an African alternative

Birmingham IV · 5

THW allow mental health charities to sue media outlets for the defamation of the mentally ill

Birmingham IV · Open_Quarters

Low-level offenders shopuld have their fates determined by neighbors rather than traditional courts.

Claremont 2015 · 2

THW publicly flog the perpetrators of minor sexual misconduct such as harassment and eve teasing.

BRAC Bank Great Gender Debates 2015 · 2

THW give less punishment to the poor for petty crimes

Drishty English Debate Championships 2015 · 3

This house believes that President Obama should pardon those convicted of low level drug possession charges en masse

Joynt Scroll 2015 · 1

This house believes that developing countries should employ western professionals to run their courts and police forces.

Joynt Scroll 2015 · Open_Semi

THW allow first-time offenders to, with the consent of the victims, pay compensation to them in place of a prison sentence

Chennai WUDC 2014 · 2

THBT multinational companies should be liable for human rights abuses that occur anywhere in their supply chain

Chennai WUDC 2014 · EFL_Final · World Schools Debating Championships

THW allow communities to vote to suspend police supervision.

Brandeis IV · Open_Finals

THW allow people to insure themselves against fines

Zeit Debatte Dresden · Open_Semis

We should be able to fire (Rabobank) Board members that were responsible for fraud, without a severance bonus.

Brabants Debattoernooi · 1

THW create drug provison centres to provide all adults with unlimited quantities of free heroin and cocaine, exclusively for on site consumption.

York IV · 1

THW abolish trial by jury in criminal cases

Irish National Law Debates · 3

The "court of public opinion" refers to situations in which individuals are accused of wrongdoing, defended, and informally tried within public discourse rather than a court of law, and are subsequently treated differently based on society's verdict(s). For example, Woody Allen is currently being tried within the court of public opinion. TH prefers a society with an active court of public opinion to one without.

North American Women's (@ McGill University) · 4

There have been successful experiments with citizens actively involved in the rehabilitation process of ex-convicts by, for example, hosting them in their house, or building supportive relationships with them. In these programmes, the state ensured adequate financial and professional assistance. The participation in these programmes by citizens and ex-convicts has always been voluntary. Motion: THW randomly select citizens to actively assist in the rehabilitation process of ex-convicts, and make participation mandatory for those citizens

Leiden Open · 3

THBT the Catholic church should make absolution for those who have committed a crime conditional upon them handing themselves into the police.

Leiden Open · Open_Final

THW not allow athletes who commit violent crimes to return to their sport upon the ending of their sentence.

Leubke Cup (@ Brock University) · 3

THW legalise entrapment

Glasgow Ancients · 3

THBT convicted criminals should be allowed to raise their children in prison

Nottingham Open · Open_Final

THBT criminal defendants should only be allowed to use a state-funded attorney

Bucharest Cup · 1

Should the state provide drug checking options in all areas with higher than average drug use?

Reedhoven Cup · 1

Should closed prisons be abolished for all crimes in juvenile justice system?

Reedhoven Cup · 4

THW introduce a UK constitution giving courts more power.

Royal Holloway Open · 2

THBT Judges should take into account the socioeconomic circumstances of defendants

Liverpool IV · ProAm_Final

TH is a police officer operating in a democracy with a functional judicial system. THW use extra-legal methods in the investigation and apprehension of serious criminals

National Maiden's · Open_Semis

In a world where the technology exists, This House Would erase all the memories of individuals who have committed serious crimes and replace them with a fabricated set of memories, instead of sending them to prison

Aberystwyth Open · Open_Final

THW hold football clubs criminally liable for the actions of their fans

Northumbria Open · 1

THW charge distribution and downloading of leaked sex tapes & nude pictures as sexual assault

SSE Riga Practice Tournament · Open_Final

THW abolish the prison system.

Berlin IV · Open_Semis

THW allow individuals to enter into pre-nuptial agreements where infidelity is punishable by prison sentences.

Estonian Open · 4

A Computer Operated Police (or C.O.P) Machine is a non-autonomous humanoid domestic drone currently being developed by the State to carry out operations deemed to be too dangerous for human officers. They are remote operated and fully armed. Motion: TH supports the deployment, throughout the Police Force, of C.O.P.s.

Hull Open · 2

THW apply the technology as an alternative to regular imprisonment

North-East German Regional Championships · 3

THW would classify crimes directed against sub-cultures as hate crimes

VUAS Debate tournament · 5

THBT criminal law should not take retribution into account as a criteria for punishment

Trivium Debattoernooi · 3

THW abolish Gesinnungsstrafrecht (additional attitude/mindset penalties for crimes commited, e.g. hate crimes)

Deutsche Debattiermeisterschaft (German Language Debating Championships) · 1

THW give house arrest for non-violent offenders

Durham Open · 6.3

THW allow inmates to pay for substantially better prison conditions.

BBU Open · 3

This House would allow drug addicts to file class action suits against their state, for their condition.

Bulgaria Open · Open_Semis

THB States Should Ensure That Their Police Forces are Roughly Proportionally Representative of the Diversity of Race & Religion of the Local Population

Earlsfort Open · 2

THB the state should provide no further services beyond those of basic law and order

Earlsfort Open · Open_Final

THBT states should pay reparations to minorities, who are citizens, that the state has previously oppressed

Ljubljana IV · 4

This house would require of police departments that the ethnic composition of their arrests match the ethnic composition of the population in their jurisdiction.

Zagreb EUDC 2014 · 7

This house believes that supreme/constitutional courts should not have the power to strike down legislation.

Zagreb EUDC 2014 · Open_Quarters

THBT universities should abolish all committees that deal with sexual crimes against their students and defer to the Police

McGill Novice · 3

THBT police forces should accurately reflect the racial demographic of the population they protect.

McGill Novice · 5

THW pay reparations to former mining communities in the UK

Edinburgh Cup · 4

THW only imprison individuals who have committed violent crimes and pose a continuing threat to society

UCL President's Cup · Open_Semis

THW publicly disclose all salaries

Hart House IV · 3

THW set the burden of proof in criminal trials to "balance of probabilities" rather than "beyond reasonable doubt".

Roosevelt Open · 2

THW impose the death penalty for pretty crime, if we knew that it would be 100% effective in deterring pretty crime and would never be used.

Roosevelt Open · Open_Semis

THW offer full amnesty to any European citizen currently fighting on behalf of ISIL as long as they immediately return to Europe

SOAS IV · ESL_Final

THS a federal UK

SOAS IV · Open_Final

THW allow individuals to grant amnesty to criminals for crimes they committed against them

Belgrade Open · 1

THW allow single parents to raise their children in prison

Bogwall (SSDC Novices) · 4

TH Supports Vigilanteism in high crime areas

SDA Novices · 4

THBT international courts should punish states with the capacity to prevent crimes against humanity, but do not do so

Thessaloniki Open · Open_Semis

THW legalize entrapment

Chancellor's Cup (Queen's University) · 3

THW not punish those who live below the poverty line for economic crimes, e.g. theft

Cambridge IV · 1

THW end the use of jailhouse informants

McMaster Pro-Am · 2

THW allow individuals in prison to serve their sentences in the armed forces.

Canadian British Parliamentary Championships (@ Western University) · 1

THW not allow sexual assault victims to give up their right to testify in criminal proceedings as part of a civil settlement

Canadian British Parliamentary Championships (@ Western University) · 2

THW base monetary criminal fines primarily on the income of the perpetrator rather than the severity of the crime

Westminster Open · 1

This House Believes That post-revolution states should delegate details of former rulers and high-ranking officials to the International Criminal Court

WSDC 2014 · Round 1 (prepared) · World Schools Debating Championships

This House Would allow prisoners to volunteer for drug trials in exchange for lighter sentences

WSDC 2014 · Round 3 (prepared) · World Schools Debating Championships

THW only imprison individuals who pose a direct and continuing threat to society

Berlin WUDC 2013 · 3

THW introduce trial by jury

Rotterdam BP Toernooi · 2

THBT Mexican state should create a list of known members of drug cartels and outlaw everyone on it

Rotterdam BP Toernooi · 3

THW not prosecute victims of domestic violence for crimes committed as a result of their abuse

Trinity IV · 1

THW abolish trial by jury

Inner Temple IV · 1

Should the possibility to revoke a PhD degree be under a statute of limitation?

Österreichischen Debattier Meisterschaft (Austrian Debate Championships) · 4

THBT the government should access private electronic communications to predict and tackle crime

The Galway Open (Irish National Law Debates) · 3

THBT the International Criminal Court should focus on indicting and prosecuting larger numbers of middle-to-low ranking suspects for war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide, rather than smaller numbers of high ranking suspects

LSE Open · Open_Quarters

This House believes that the civil and criminal legal system has no business considering or regulating behaviour that exclusively occurs in online virtual worlds such as 'Second Life'

LSE Open · Open_Semis

THW make the punishment for drunk driving equal to manslaughter, even if the driver caused no accident

IDEA-DTU · Open_Semis

THW allow prisoners to choose death over life sentence

John Smith Memorial Mace · Open_Quarter_3 · World Schools Debating Championships

THBT single parents sent to prison should be able to raise their children in prison.

Manchester IV · 1

THW allow individuals to contract out of all basic employment provisions in their contracts (such as health & safety, unfair dismissal etc) in return for compensation.

Nottingham Open · 3

THBT juries should only include individuals that are from the same socio-economic class as the defendant

Vienna IV · 1

THW sentence repeat offenders to life imprisonment

Leeds Open · Novice_Final

In post-conflict societies, THBT that justice is better served by TRCs (Truth and Reconciliation Committees) than by prosecution of perpetrators of attrocities other than the leaders

Leeds Open · Open_Semis

THW require all criminal defendants to use a government-provided lawyer.

NAUDC (also Hart House IV) · 1

Should the prosecution and defence in criminal cases no longer be able to make deals?

Berlin-Brandenburgischen-Meisterschaften (Championships) · 2

THW abolish the institution of the criminal record

Bucharest Universities Debating Cup · 2

THW replace juries with panels of philosophers who will decide cases purely on utilitarian grounds

Royal Holloway Open · 2

THW bring back public corporal punishment for smaller crimes

Royal Holloway Open · 3

THW require priests to report confessions that lead to criminal convictions

Royal Holloway Open · 4

THW wipe the memories of those convicted very serious crimes and replace them with more positive memories

Royal Holloway Open · 4

THW prosecute the perpetrators of domestic violence without the victim's consent

Irish National Maidens · 5

THW criminalize gang membership.

Leiden Open · 1

THBT the news media should also represent the criminal's point of view when reporting on criminal convictions.

Leiden Open · 5

THW allow police to provoke citizens for committing crimes

Zalgiris Cup · 5

THW allow the use of bounty hunters

Zeit Debatte Marburg · 1

THBT people should only be allowed to work in state or local government agencies for a maximum of 5 years

Estonian BP Championships · Open_Final

THBT police officers should pose as children on social networking sites to entrap paedophiles

St Petersburg Debating Open · 5

THW vote to acquit and attempt to persuade other jurors to do the same

Kent IV · 4

THW establish a US federal court with the authority to approve targeted killings of unlawful combatants.

HWS Round Robin · 2

THBT governments should use corporal punishment instead of incarceration for a significant number of crimes.

HWS Round Robin · 5

THW allow sex offenders to choose to undergo castration in return for a considerably shorter sentence

DCU Open · 2

You are a member of the Pussy Riots. You are presented with a fail safe plan to runaway from prison and start a relatively comfortable life in the west. THW stay in prison.

HSE Open · Open_Final

THW abolish the statute of limitations for serious crimes

Dutch National Championships · 3

THW offer all citizens, upon request, a second chance

Dutch National Championships · Open_Semis

Should we allow the police to use racial profiling?

German Regional Championships North-East · 1

Should exile be reinstated as a form of punishment?

German Regional Championships South (Austria and Switzerland) · 1

THW prosecute (in western courts) anyone who buys people out of slavery in the developing world

Cambridge Invitational · 1

THBT racial profiling is a legitimate tool in fighting crime

Kyiv Open · 1

THW introduce a statute of limitation on murder

Kyiv Open · 4

THBT police force should have quotas of proportional representation of races

Kyiv Open · Open_Semis

THW not punish offenders for non-violent crimes with prison sentence

Denny Crane · 4

THW make fines relative to wealth

Riga Debate Academy · 3

THW prosecute attempted murder and murder as the same crime

Bristol Open · 1

THBT offenders with drug dependency should be sent into treatment rather than to prison.

GDPPC Open · Open_Final

Should there no longer be a possibility of early release in case of life sentences?

Frischlingscup · 3

THBT in areas where there is a high level of drug-related crime, that laws surrounding the sale and use of drugs should not be enforced.

Imperial No Notes Open · 1

THBT juries should be of the same demographic as the accused and victim in each case

Earlsfort Open · 3

THW punish parents for the crimes their minor children commit

Campeonato Mundial Universitario de Debate en Español (CMUDE or Worlds in Spanish) · 1

THW give the death penalty to government officials that engage in acts of corruption

Campeonato Mundial Universitario de Debate en Español (CMUDE or Worlds in Spanish) · 2

THW help/support snitches (informants, informers)

Campeonato Mundial Universitario de Debate en Español (CMUDE or Worlds in Spanish) · 7

THW grant prisoners their right to vote back as soon as they are released

Bodden Cup · 1

THW permit government agencies to conduct automated surveillance without court authorisation

Manchester EUDC 2013 · 4

THBT Barack Obama should not have granted legal immunity to officials who ordered the use of torture

Manchester EUDC 2013 · 8

THW allow jurors to pose questions to anyone testifying.

Commonwealth Open (Australs style) · 4.1

As a juror, this house would in no circumstances consider nullification.

Commonwealth Open (Australs style) · 4.2

THBT lawyers should not be involved in jury selection.

Commonwealth Open (Australs style) · 4.3

THW punish bullies through the courts instead of through schools.

McGill Novice · 2

THW give harsher sentences to military of police officers who engage in sexual assault.

McGill Novice · 6

THW restrict the press from all speculation and reporting on the mental health of criminals and suspected criminals

Edinburgh Cup · Open_Semis

THBT for certain criminal offenses, torture is a just punishment.

Yale IV · 2

In cases where individuals are convicted of leaking state secrets, THW allow their convictions to be nullified by a national referendum.

Yale IV · Open_Finals

THW no longer arrest or prosecute individual members of drug gangs operating in highly violent areas if gang leaders agree to halt all turf wars

Roosevelt Academy Open · 1

THBT individuals should not be permitted to represent themselves at trial.

US National Open · 7

THBT jury trials do more harm than good.

US National Open · Open_Semis

THW only imprison criminals who pose a continuing threat to society

UCD Novice Cup · 1

THW make casinos and bookmakers liable for the debt of problem gamblers.

McMaster Pro-Am · 1

THW Allow prisoners to run for elected office.

McMaster Pro-Am · 2

THW allow violent offenders to opt in, at a judges discretion, to the Ludovico technique as a substitution for jail time

McMaster Pro-Am · Open_Finals

THW make welfare payments conditional on recipients engaging in full-time community service

Turku Open · 1

THBT in criminal court cases the jury should be comprised of individuals from the same racial and socio-economic background as the defendant

Durham IV · 1

THW hold parents criminally liable for the repeat offences of their children

Durham IV · Novice_Final

THBT when courts sentence offenders, they should give considerable weight to the views of the victims.

Oxford IV · Novice_Finals

THW always execute those sentenced to death publicly

Schwarzwald Cup · 4

THW make it a criminal offence to materially and substnatially enable the substance abuse problems of an addict.

Canadian BP Championships (@ McMaster University) · 2

THW force violent offenders to undergo the Ludovico technique

Cork IV · 3

THB the dead are the property of the state

IDAS Tournament · 6

THW apply universal jurisdiction to crimes against the environment

IDAS Tournament · Open_Semis

A ship sinks at the high seas. Three sailors and the cabin boy survive in a lifeboat. There is no land in sight and the men are exhausted. To stay alive, the sailors kill and eat the cabin boy against his will. Days later, the lifeboat is found and brought to land. The sailors survived thanks to the reinforcement brought by eating the cabin boy. The authorities hear of the tale and the sailors are brought before a court where a jury will give a verdict. Motion: TH, as the jury, would vote against a conviction

Iron Man tournament · Open_Final

THW allow people (including companies) to give the police money in exchange for new or increased efforts in a specified area of legitimate law enforcement

UCU Open · 4

THW prevent the media from publishing any personal details (such as race or social class) of criminals and suspects

Bristol ProAM · 2

THW convicted criminals the options to choose corporal punishments over imprisonment

Nikolausturnier · 1

THW not give jail time to criminals who do not pose an ongoing violent threat to society

SSE Riga IV · Novice_Final

This house would hire police personnel in proportion to society's demography

English Cup · 3

THW require the state to compensate individuals who face criminal prosecution but are not found guilty.

Brandeis IV · Open_Quarters

Assuming that the death penalty is in use, THW make all executions public.

Lund IV · 4

THW require police to wear miniature video cameras at all times whilst on duty

Moscow Open · 4

THW end the prosecution of Troubles-related killings in Northern Ireland

Sheffield IV · 4

THW make parents legally responsible for their children's crimes

Leiden Novice Tournament · 2

THW allow jury nullification

Jerusalem Open · 4

THBT lack of Intent should not be considered a legitimate defence in hate speech trials

Birmingham IV · 5

This House believes that if technology permitted us to identify people who are genetically predisposed to commit crimes, it would be appropriate for the state to monitor them and limit their activities.

Joynt Scroll 2013 · Open_Semi

THW exempt academic disputes from defamation law.

De La Salle WUDC 2012 · 8

THBT the Brasilian state should prosecute a murder that happens among one of the uncontacted peoples in the rainforest

Berlin New Year's Invitational · 1