NCJ Number
70677
Date Published
1971
Length
0 pages
Annotation
In this open-ended film, the viewer is asked to decide whether or not the right to due process, guaranteed by the fifth amendment to the Constitution, should sometimes give way to summary punishment to avoid violence and anarchy.
Abstract
Intended for elementary, junior-senior high, college, and adult audiences, this film focuses on the summary suspension of a college student following a rock-throwing incident, and his attempt to be reinstated. During the course of the student's hearing, his counsel argues that the introduction of evidence by an anonymous witness violates the student's right to due process as does the summary suspension which might cause the student to lose a semester's work. The opposing counsel argues that the fifth amendment does not require a trial type of hearing in every conceivable case and that a witness cannot be compelled to testify who does not wish to. The broader issues of the student's right to a fair trial as opposed to the university's right to maintain a tranquil environment for students are presented, and the viewer is given the opportunity to decide.