Arguing that there is no better opportunity to teach about the law than when a sensational trial overwhelms the media, this booklet outlines the legal issues involved in the O. J. Simpson trial and presents teaching methods for introducing these issues to students. In a discussion of the trial phase, the booklet explains the concepts of reasonable…

Presents a curriculum program designed to dramatize the trial experience. Utilizes the fairytale "Little Red Riding Hood" to present the facts of a criminal case. Outlines the mock trial, rules of evidence, criminal code, and facts of the case. Suggests that classroom experience be enhanced with field trips to a real court. (DK)

This article describes the law-related education (LRE) programs instituted by the United States Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). By linking legal and constitutional matters to everyday life, the programs aim to bring alive for elementary through high school students legal statutes that often…

Prepared by the District of Columbia Street Law Project for its annual city-wide mock trial competition, this instructional handout provides material for a murder trial. The defendant shot the victim in the course of a violent dispute. The prosecution charges murder while the defendant claims to have acted in self-defense. The handout clarifies…

Prepared by the District of Columbia Street Law Project for its 21 annual city-wide mock trial competition, this instructional handout provides material for a mock rape trial. David Jones and Susan Williams, both students at Capital University, had dated on and off during the previous years and on the night of the incident had attended a party…

This paper is a chronologically-organized narrative history of law-related education (LRE) in the United States. The paper begins by delineating the differences between LRE and citizenship education and describing the motivations for the creation of LRE programs in the early 1960s. Turning to the analysis of LRE, the paper argues that there have…

Prepared by the District of Columbia Street Law Project for its 17th annual city-wide mock trial competition, this instructional handout provides the material for a mock criminal trial. The federal government charges Martha Monroe with first degree murder for shooting her husband, George Monroe, while he slept. Martha Monroe asserts that she acted…

Designed for teachers, this simulation of a criminal trial addresses the workings of the trial system by using the children's story, "The Three Little Pigs." The Big Bad Wolf is put on trial for destroying the pigs' houses. By having students assume roles and use the non-scripted character profiles, the simulation allows information to…

Prepared by the District of Columbia Street Law Project for its 16th annual city-wide mock trial competition, this instructional handout provides the material for a mock civil trial in which Dana Barr, a former corrections officer, brings suit against the Lorton Medium Security Facility for firing him on the basis of his status as Human…

Course outlines and timelines for a junior high school elective, "Youth and the Law," and a senior high school elective, "Criminal and Civil Law," are provided. A sample brochure about a supplementary television series for the junior high course is also included. (SR)

This special theme issue of "Update on Law-Related Education""tells about the past, present, and future of equal legal representation for all in our society." It is dedicated to the history and heroes of legal aid for the poor and the need to further that cause if the United States hopes to achieve equal justice for all. In his…

This book, a comprehensive and interactive introductory text on criminal justice, consists of six units: (1) Crime: covers victims' rights, gangs, violent crime, white-collar crime, elements of crimes, legal defenses, methods for measuring crime, hate crime, computer crime, and a history of crime in the United States; (2) Police: explores local…

This catalog was developed to provide useful information about the many "Teaching Law to the Public" law school-based projects operating around the country in 1993-94. Aimed at law school project staff members, it is a handy reference to other law school programs. The catalog also is intended as a guide for everybody involved in…

This guide is designed to support the teaching of the material contained in the introductory text, "Criminal Justice in America." The guide provides information about the text, detailed descriptions of the variety of teaching strategies employed, suggested teaching sequences, activity masters, and chapter and final tests. It is organized…

This lesson plan about Indiana's court system is designed to work with any classroom resources a teacher may use when teaching a U.S. history, government, or Indiana history class. The lesson also provides online suggestions, general legal links at the end of the lesson to aid a teacher or student interested in exploring other legal topics, and a…