QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Anton Woode

Do we view Anton Woode through a different lens than we would a child criminal today? Why? Was his life of eleven years more or less jaded by his time than modern juvenile criminals’ lives are by theirs?

What do you consider the modern-day equivalent to the gambling halls of 1890s Denver as bad environments we allow our kids access to?

If Anton Woode committed the same crime today, how do you envision it playing itself out? What roles would law enforcement, the legal system, the court system, and the prison system have on a child today in his circumstances, and how would they differ from what Anton experienced?

What makes life cheaper—the likelihood of early death, as in the time of Anton Woode, or the overpopulation we experience today?


We know little of what motivated Anton Woode to seek out an education while incarcerated. What influences do you suppose led him to study art, languages, music, and writing?

How much of Anton’s crime do you attribute to nature or nurture?

Does our modern-day system allow for reformers such as Judge Lindsey? If not, what would inhibit such a man from making a difference in young delinquents’ lives?

Even in Anton’s time, it was considered that one person’s bad deeds, when publicized, would lead others to criminal acts as well. How influential do you think the media is in influencing criminal behavior among its consumers?

In a newspaper account written during Anton’s first trial, a journalist described a sympathetic female observer’s concern for Anton as “one of those incidents which sometimes occur in the trial of criminal cases, arising from the morbid sympathy of a certain type of women for the criminal.” How do you think Madge Reynolds fits into this assessment? Do you think she was duped by Anton Woode?

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, “The age of eighteen is the point where society draws the line for many purposes between childhood and adulthood. It is, we conclude, the age at which the line for death eligibility ought to rest.” Do you agree with this statement? If not, what age do you think should determine when a child becomes an adult. Why?

Colorado has a death penalty, but has only executed one person since 1967. Does this reflect the general populace’s attitude toward the death penalty? Is it worth it to keep someone in prison on a life sentence rather than execute him?

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