University of Surrey Amicus Society
Constitution
Aims
Our aim is to deepen understanding of the incompatibility of the death penalty with the values of modern-day society. This will be through open discussion, including but not limited to debates and guest speakers from Amicus sharing their unique perspectives. Alongside this, the society will give student the opportunity to take part in fundraisers and other activities to support Amicus, which is a legal charity vital in ensuring the most vulnerable people in society have access to sufficient representation in capital cases. Unfortunately, while this work is crucial there are not enough lawyers and other specialists trained in death penalty cases, so any help is incredibly welcome.
Existence
We are in an era of rampant misinformation being fed to our generation, especially as it pertains to crime. Often there is a manufactured inflation of the crime rate paired with calls for punishment that is purely retributive. Often, this online discourse will weaponise both the victim and the defendant's race, gender, religion and class. This society will be significantly impactful as it will connect students to the humanity of both victim and offender. It will also lead to students questioning the oversimplified and often highly emotive narratives that the algorithm has carefully curated by being more curious.