The author primarily teaches traditional high school English texts in a largely white, middle-class school, but the method she uses allows her to address important issues relevant to students. One unit she teaches is an investigation of the criminal justice system and a variety of issues related to the school-to-prison pipeline. A crucial text…

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)

Presents a lesson plan calling upon students to consider U.S. law from a cross-cultural perspective. Explains that students participate in a mock hearing involving a culturally based defense to a charge of murder. Includes student handouts, arguments for and against the defense, objectives, and procedures. (SG)

Explores how a defendant can face a civil action and criminal prosecution for the same act without violating the principle of double jeopardy. For instance, burning down a house can engender criminal prosecution charges and a civil suit from the insurance company. Double jeopardy only applies to criminal actions. (MJP)

Uses five unusual indifference curve exercises to show how changing the jail sentence and changing the reward for good behavior can influence the crime rate. Recommends eliminating minimum sentencing while raising sentencing and increasing the rewards for good behavior. Includes illustrative graphs for each exercise. (MJP)

Presents a lesson on American Indian tribal sovereignty. Discusses the concept of sovereignty as it developed in the United States. Describes three Supreme Court decisions that established (1) Indian tribes were sovereign before European contact and (2) some sovereign powers were restricted after the United States was established. Includes a chart…

Involves upper elementary students in a problem-solving activity that raises questions about who should have the right to a lawyer in a criminal case. Students discuss the importance of the right to due process in a criminal proceeding as well as in other situations. Defines due process and includes a handout on protections in the Bill of Rights.…

Discusses fictional media portrayals of crimefighting, such as Superman and Dick Tracy programs, that often constitute civil rights violations. Describes a learning activity that calls upon students to observe and log such portrayals and evaluate them critically. Suggests sources of program materials and lists other activities on the topic. (SG)

Presents the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution. Provides teaching suggestions, a review quiz, and includes the five points of the Miranda Warning. (CFR)

Presents the opinions of nine professionals serving the justice system on the issue of providing representation in criminal and civil cases for those unable to pay for lawyers. Includes questions about the obligations of lawyers to provide counsel and the differences between legal representation in civil and criminal cases. (CFR)

Identifies and discusses sections of the U.S. Constitution that support the provision of legal aid to poor people. Reviews Supreme Court cases that deal with this topic. Includes five suggested learning activities and a vocabulary list. (CFR)

Describes a criminal case decided in the People's Republic of China in March 1991. Discusses the development of the modern Chinese legal system. Compares criminal law in China and the United States. (CFR)

Briefly summarizes the purpose and authority of a number of crime-fighting programs administered through the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). These programs provide federal assistance in preventing and controlling crime and delinquency, and assisting crime victims. Includes a list of federal and state expenditures on crime. (MJP)

Describes the current state of juvenile criminal justice programs and the historical and legal precedents that created it. The current system rests on concepts of confidentiality, due process, and alternatives to jail. Many states are considering modifying aspects of these because of the increase in juvenile crime. (MJP)

Contends that often lawmakers misread their constituents' opinions on important issues. Presents data from an Indiana survey that suggest support for the death penalty vanishes when citizens are given the option of life in prison without possibility of parole combined with a requirement of work and restitution. (MJP)