Michael Fay Case
Background Information
Michael Fay, an American teenager living in Singapore, was arrested in 1994
for possession of stolen street signs and for vandalism of automobiles. The
criminal justice system in Singapore sentenced Fay to a series of “canings,”
in which the accused is struck several times on the buttocks with a long,
rattan cane. Amnesty International has declared this punishment “torture.”
Before the punishment was carried out, Fay’s father publicized his case all
over America, hoping that people would be so horrified by the act that they
would protest. What the case touched off instead was a huge debate over the
effectiveness of such punishments on criminals. Proponents of caning pointed
out that Singapore has very little crime, while America provides its
criminals with cable TV. The case dominated much of talk radio in the months
leading up to the scheduled caning.
The Clinton Administration did intervene somewhat and was able to get the
number of strokes reduced. In the end, Fay was struck four times with the
cane, and the case—and Fay—slipped out of the public’s mind.
After reading the background information on the Michael Fay controversy, what
are your feelings about the case? Is his punishment justified?
Singapore
does not have a very high crime rate. Do you think that the severe punishment of
caning might contribute to this? Would you be willing to have this type of
justice in America? Why or why not?
The Michael Fay case generated a lot of publicity. Newspaper reporters and editorial writers expressed different points of view on whether the punishment was justified.
·
If a reporter thought that the punishment was unjustified,
what kinds of words and phrases would you expect him or her to use to describe
the caning and Fay himself?
· If a reporter thought that the punishment was justified what kinds of words and phrases might you expect him or her to use to describe the caning?