Curated OER
Lessons in Legal Ethics: Crime and the Media
High schoolers examine a variety of ethical issues that arise in criminal cases. They get into groups, and perform a case study of a real situation in which many of these ethical issues came up. All of the worksheets needed to...
Curated OER
Black Skin, White Justice: Race Matters in the Criminal Justice System
Students examine the effects of race in the criminal justice system. As a class, they brainstorm a list of instances when the offender has been an African American and he is not treated fairly in court based on his race. They analyze...
Curated OER
You and the Law -- Beating the Odds
Middle schoolers examine the rate of institutional racism in the United States. Individually, they write in their journals about how they can make better choices and increase their self-esteem. Using historical documents, they identify...
Curated OER
Understanding Criminal Justice
Young scholars realize that clear values are a resource of behavior in clarifying needs and wants. They clarify feelings and wants and verbalize ways in which they give up freedom and control in their lives by relinquishing decisions...
Curated OER
Trials and Tribulations
Learners explore their beliefs about objectivity and the United States justice system. They examine the facets of a criminal case by researching various aspects of the judicial system and apply what they have learned to the Michael...
Curated OER
The Death Penalty As a Form of Torture
Young scholars write their impressions to an article about the death penalty. They discuss various facets of the death penalty issue, including whether or not it constitutes cruel and inhuman punishment. Students write responses to the...
Curated OER
The Leed's footballers' trial
Students explore what happens when someone is tried for a crime. They expand their knowledge of the name "Criminal Justice System" and develop discussion skills. Students read the story Leeds footballer guilty of fighting in public. ...
Curated OER
Justice
Students consider the role of justice in the formation of the United States and in the operation of today's criminal justice system. They investigate symbols associated with justice and references to justice in the Constitution.
C-SPAN
C Span Classroom: Teaching About Criminal Justice Reform
C-Span classroom examines criminal justice reform, particularly whether or not the federal government should reform minimum sentencing laws and reduce incarcerations for non-violent drug offenses. With lesson plan, vocabulary preview,...
BBC
Bbc: Oscar Pistorious: I Did Not Pick on Reeva Steenkamp
Read the latest news in the trial of Oscar Pistorious, the athlete accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Have Fun With History
Have Fun With History: Crime and Punishment
Learning module on crime, punishment and the justice system. Students and teachers can view videos and search links to National Museum of Crime and Punishment.
Texas State Historical Association
Texas State Historical Association: Department of Criminal Justice [Pdf]
An activity guide where students refer to the Texas Almanac, which is free to download, for information needed to complete assigned tasks. In this lesson, they research Texas prisons to learn about the inmates there, their crimes and...
CommonLit
Common Lit: "The Scottsboro Boys" by Jessica Mc Birney
A learning module that begins with the "The Scottsboro Boys" by Jessica McBirney, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: Modern Democracy in America
This is a collection of 19 Grade-Leveled texts (6-12) on the topic Modern Democracy in America. How does democracy function in modern-day America? Learn how a bill becomes a law, the role of American presidents, and much more in this...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Holes" by Louis Sacher
Stanley Yelnats is sent to a juvenile correctional camp for boys where each day he is forced to dig holes into a dry lake bed. Selected (8) reading passages (grades 5-8) to pair with the novel "Holes" by Louis Sacher. [Free account...
A&E Television
History.com: How Al Capone Spent His Time in Alcatraz
Public Enemy #1 was transferred to the now-infamous island prison a few weeks after it opened. To Americans of the 1920s and '30s, he was the notorious gangster Scarface Al, Public Enemy No. 1. But when he arrived at Alcatraz in late...
A&E Television
History.com: Alcatraz Escapes: 14 Breakout Attempts From the Island Prison
To ditch Alcatraz, the infamous federal penitentiary, inmates tried everything from papier-mache masks to a military impersonation to a bloody revolt. Over those three decades, the infamous prison known as "The Rock" housed more than...
A&E Television
History.com: Was the Escape From Alcatraz Successful?
A 2013 letter to the FBI, if real, suggests the Anglin brothers and Frank Morris survived one of the most daring and dangerous prison breaks of all time. It was one of the most ingenious prison breaks of all time -- if it worked. In...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Now: Do Now: Should Teens Who Commit Serious Crimes Be Sentenced as Adults?
Click on Watch on YouTube to watch the FRONTLINE film "Stickup Kid." Then Do Now activity, students engage in a conversation around teen sentencing and discuss the question: Should teens under 18 be tried and sentenced as children or...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Women & Girls in the Criminal Justice System: Lesson 3: The State of the Criminal Justice System
Students will look at restorative justice as a competing model, learn more about the state of the criminal justice system, and express their opinions about the topic to an elected leader. The prison population has exploded in the United...
Siteseen
Siteseen: American Historama: Alcatraz
This article provides facts about the Alcatraz Prison history, its famous prisoners, life in the prison, and the attempted escapes from Alcatraz.