GE2016-10
***The registration quota is full***
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen Prejean
No, this is not Dostoyesky’s famous 19th century Russian novel “Crime and Punishment”. This book club is a more modern take, focussing on the perennial subject of what punishment befits the most heinous of crimes.
Both books challenge us to come to our own conclusion on whether the death penalty is justified, what crimes could be so heinous as to attract the ultimate sanction – the judicial taking of one’s life - what might constitute grounds for the defense of insanity or of diminished responsibility, whether the safeguards against miscarriage of justice is sufficient to ensure that life is not unjustly ended, and whether indeed the death penalty is an effective deterrent against criminals at all and, if not, what’s it for? We hope to conduct this book club in a more adversarial fashion, in recognition of the fact that the central issues are more usually than not addressed in courts.
This book club also includes a visit the Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum, which affords an intriguing glimpse into prison life and traces the transformation of the Hong Kong penal system over 160 years.
Host: Mr. Peter Lai （黎慶寧先生）
Dates & Time:
17/9 (Sat) 15:00 – 18:00,
24/9 (Sat) 16:00 – 18:00,
22/10 (Sat) 15:30 – 18:00 &
29/10 (Sat) 10:15 – 16:30 (Visit)
Venue: Gatherland2046 & Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum
Language: English
Fee: $250 (Enrolled students will get paperback copies of the books. Lunch on 22/10 (Sat) included. A deposit of $100 will be refunded upon full attendance.)
Quota: 10
Limited quota, first come first admitted.
Enrolment at counters (for HKU students only) starts at 10:00 on 7/9 (Wed), at K.K. Leung Concourse.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen Prejean
No, this is not Dostoyesky’s famous 19th century Russian novel “Crime and Punishment”. This book club is a more modern take, focussing on the perennial subject of what punishment befits the most heinous of crimes.
Both books challenge us to come to our own conclusion on whether the death penalty is justified, what crimes could be so heinous as to attract the ultimate sanction – the judicial taking of one’s life - what might constitute grounds for the defense of insanity or of diminished responsibility, whether the safeguards against miscarriage of justice is sufficient to ensure that life is not unjustly ended, and whether indeed the death penalty is an effective deterrent against criminals at all and, if not, what’s it for? We hope to conduct this book club in a more adversarial fashion, in recognition of the fact that the central issues are more usually than not addressed in courts.
This book club also includes a visit the Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum, which affords an intriguing glimpse into prison life and traces the transformation of the Hong Kong penal system over 160 years.
Host: Mr. Peter Lai （黎慶寧先生）
Dates & Time:
17/9 (Sat) 15:00 – 18:00,
24/9 (Sat) 16:00 – 18:00,
22/10 (Sat) 15:30 – 18:00 &
29/10 (Sat) 10:15 – 16:30 (Visit)
Venue: Gatherland2046 & Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum
Language: English
Fee: $250 (Enrolled students will get paperback copies of the books. Lunch on 22/10 (Sat) included. A deposit of $100 will be refunded upon full attendance.)
Quota: 10
Limited quota, first come first admitted.
Enrolment at counters (for HKU students only) starts at 10:00 on 7/9 (Wed), at K.K. Leung Concourse.
Schedule:
| Date | Time | Venue |
| 17 Sep 2016 | 15:00 - 18:00 | Gatherland2046 |
| 24 Sep 2016 | 16:00 - 18:00 | Gatherland2046 |
| 22 Oct 2016 | 15:30 - 18:00 | Gatherland2046 |
| 29 Oct 2016 | 10:15 - 16:30 | Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum |
Bio of Instructor(s) 導師簡介:
Mr. Peter Lai （黎慶寧先生）After graduating with first class honours at HKU in 1973, Mr. Lai joined the Hong Kong Government as an Administrative Officer. From 1985 Mr. Lai was almost continuously engaged in Sino-British negotiations on the future arrangements for Hong Kong and was appointed a Member of the Sino-British Land Commission in 1991-94. In late 1994 he was appointed the first 'local' Secretary for Security of the Hong Kong Government. He left the civil service on 1 August 1998. Mr. Lai is an Honorary Professor at the Department of Politics and Public Administration, HKU.