Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

Comparison

Instructions:

Step 1: Write a concise summary of the UDHR and write the correct MLA citation for the text.
Step 2: Choose two of the civil rights articles from the Analyzing Argument assignment.
Step 3: Compare and connect the columns to the UDHR by choosing a few elements that are
related to your topic and explain how they fit together. The more notes, the better!
Step 4: Finally, write the correct MLA citation for both columns.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights Summary

This declaration is stating that they recognize the “inherent dignity of the equal and inalienable
rights of all members of the human family of freedom, justice and peace in the world.”

Universal Declaration of Human Rights MLA Citation

Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Paris, United Nations, 9 December 1948.

Column 1 (Headline & link)

The downside of criminal justice reform

MLA Citation

Robert Cherry, opinion contributor. “The Downside of Criminal Justice Reform.”

TheHill, The Hill, 2 Sep. 2021, thehill.com/opinion/criminal-justice/570098-the-
downside-of-criminal-justice-reform.

Comparison Notes

The Hill article talks about how justice reform is becoming too much and letting criminals off
easy, “When we are too soft with prison reform we are allowing people to be released too
soon, and allowing criminals to be free among regular citizens.”
➔ Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that, “No one shall be
subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
◆ With the limiting of the Criminal Justice reform, we could resort back to our
 ways of having humanity being taken out of punishment. Also in the
declaration,
➔ Article 11 says that, “No one shall be held guilty with a penal offence on account of
any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or
international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be
imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.”
◆ This Article is written to say that we cannot change the offence crimes on any
basis no matter what, and if we continue on our way with restricting the reform
of criminal justice, then these penal offences will be charged as things much
more than what they are, penal offences.

Column 2 (Headline & link)

Why Prison Reform Is Not Enough to Fix the U.S. Criminal Justice System

MLA Citation

Chung, Ed. “Why Prison Reform Is Not Enough to Fix the U.S. Criminal Justice
System.” Center for American Progress, 30 Nov. 2018,
www.americanprogress.org/issues/criminal-justice/news/2018/03/23/446616/prison-
reform-not-enough-fix-u-s-criminal-justice-system/.

Comparison Notes

This article by Center for American Progress says that the U.S. federal criminal justice system
incarcerates too many people for too long. Congress should consider carefully the
consequences of obtaining a legislative victory in passing prison reform and of trusting an
attorney general who has not demonstrated enough commitment to any criminal justice reform
to implement it.
➔ Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “ Everyone is entitled
in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in
the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.”
◆ Article 10 can be used to back up the article by Center for American Progress
by stating that these tribunals/juries are not being impartial and incarcerating
the people for too long based on their offence. This can also tie to Article 11 of
the declaration.
● Article 11 says that, “No one shall be held guilty with a penal offence
on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal
offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was
committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was
applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.”
○ This article can be used to prove that we, as the United States,
are breaking the declaration. It has been proven multiple times
that the jurors are not being fair and impartial for their decisions.