# Where can I find cites **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 7, 2000, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-cites/28403 "2000-08-07T11:55:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gomez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d78d45/32.png) [@Gomez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gomez)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-cites/28403/1 "2000-08-07T11:55:33Z")
I have quite a few topics which I think would make good Great Debates. I want to back up my point of view with cites but I can’t find any. For example I want to start a Great Debate thread about the double standard of punishing ( at least in the U.K.) men more harshly than women in certain areas of the law and punishing women more harshly than men in other areas. There have been some notable examples in the news over the last twelve months and they would help me give you a good debating topic. However I can’t find any links to the stories, or for that matter any stories over a week old. Are there any web sites which provide archives of news stories stretching back over the last couple of years? I have searched for sites of this nature but I haven’t found any. If you guys know of any could you please give me the address? I’d \*\*\* REALLY \*\*\* appreciate it. Thanks. Gomez ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-cites/28403/2 "2000-08-07T13:53:10Z")
Have you tried the Times of London? I don’t recall the URL, but if you go to [Google](http://www.google.com/) and search for “times london” or"london times" I’d be willing to bet you could find the home page. I’m sure they have an archive (most papers do). Similarly, going to [Google](http://www.google.com/) or to [Alta Vista](http://www.altavista.com/) or to [NorthernLights](http://www.northernlights.com/) and entering “britain criminal justice” or “united kingdom prisons” or some similar phrases should turn up several leads. Among those leads should be at least one civic watchdog group that is horrified by the events you describe and have a web site up to expound on their dismay and at least one or two University sites that include studies of criminal justice. If you have the names of any of the people involved, entering them on the search engine should bring up the locations of people who have commented on the trials or sentencing. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-cites/28403/3 "2000-08-07T13:53:28Z")
Try the online newspaper editions. Both [The Guardian](http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk) and [The Telegraph](http://www.telegraph.co.uk) have archives you can search, and I’m sure that [the BBC](http://news.bbc.co.uk) and [The Times](http://www.the-times.co.uk) would also have searchable archives. If a story is based on an official report, it’s also worth checking [open.gov.uk](http://www.open.gov.uk), which is a central link to all local and central government websites in Britain. ---
**Author:** ![RussellM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed8c4c/32.png) [@RussellM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RussellM)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2000, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-cites/28403/4 "2000-08-08T13:45:23Z")
One option, of course, is to debate about something of which you actually already have knowledge, or make it clear from the outset that you are dealing in WAGs. Russell ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2000, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-cites/28403/5 "2000-08-08T14:09:50Z")
I’d start with: the **Home Office** (via mattk’s link to the Government site) and into the prison section - that’s for official stuff. The [b[Prison Service\*\* has a site but I don’t know it’s merits. For the contrary perspective, I’d look at:[http://web.ukonline.co.uk/howard.league/](http://web.ukonline.co.uk/howard.league/) and any **associated** sites it links to. - that’s **The Howard League for Penal Reform** (or, when Michael Howard was Home Sec, ‘The Penal League for Howard Reform’). Also, the newspaper links will be good for occasional, broad stroke overviews but you’d probably need to treat them more as sources for further web searches.