Name of Lesson: Should there be a Youth Criminal Justice Act?

Grade Level: 9 Subject: Social Studies Prepared by: Todd Dumais Overview and Purpose: Students examine the purposes of the Youth Criminal Justice Act by deciding whether or not the needs of Canadian youth and society in general are well served by treating youth differently from adults.

Educational Standards

9.1.5 analyze the role that citizens and organizations play in Canadas justice system by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues: What is the intention of the Youth Criminal Justice Act?

What are citizens legal roles and their responsibilities?

Objectives: Specify skills/information that will be learned

Students will evaluate, critically, ideas, information and positions from multiple perspectives what is the intention of the Youth Criminal Justice Act? Students will draw conclusions based upon research and evidence Students will integrate and synthesize concepts to provide an informed point of view on a research question or an issue Students will communicate in a persuasive and engaging manner through on line discussions, multimedia presentations and written and oral reports, taking particular audiences and purposes into consideration Students will integrate and synthesize concepts to provide an informed point of view on a research question or an issue Students will listen to others to understand their perspectives Students will make reasoned comments relating to the topic of discussion

Materials Needed:

Laptop or tablet Access to the internet

Other Resources: (websites, videos, books, etc.) http://www.tryjudging.ca/teacher.htm#modules http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/yj-jj/index.html www.cbc.ca/news/background/crime/ycja.html http://www.canadiancrc.com/default.aspx Information: Give and/or demonstration necessary information

Set the context Invite students to suggest a variety of ways that young peoplefrom a range of ages, both genders and all family backgroundsoccasionally break the law. Cluster the listed items into four categories: violence, property, driving, substance abuse. Work with case studies Organize students into small groups. Using Google Drive, share and assign each group one of the provided case studies or another case study that reflects a current issue in your community. Ask groups to read the case study and identify on the document the victim of the crime, the nature of the crime and the severity of the crime. Invite students to write up a reasonable consequence for the crime committed. Establish criteria Invite students to work with their groups to develop criteria that they can use to guide their decisions as to what would constitute a fair and reasonable consequence. Remind students that the consequence needs to balance the interests of:

the youth who committed the crime; e.g., their freedom, well-being, long-term prospects the victim of the crime; e.g., security, well-being, justice society at large; e.g., security, well-being, justice criminal justice system; e.g., ability to protect society and youth, self protection, efficacy, cost. Students are encouraged to search the internet for examples of fair and reasonable consequences for youth in Canada who have committed crimes.

Some possible criteria students may suggest could include:

is commensurate with the severity of the crime considers the age of the accused

allows for rehabilitation protects interests of all stakeholders.

Verification: Steps to check for student understanding

1 2 3

Observation of discussions in the class and on line Using google drive to observe progress Circulate in the classroom to ensure all groups and students are engaged

Activity: Describe activity that will reinforce the lesson Determine criteria for choosing consequences Ask students open a google drive document and share that document with a partner. Students will work with this partner to sort their responses to the case studies into categories according to the impact of the proposed consequence. Ask students to consider who would benefit the most or who would be punished the most. Ask them to think about whose interests are dominant, such as: youth who committed the crime (freedom, well-being, long term prospects) victim of the crime (security, well-being, justice) society at large (security, well-being, justice) criminal justice system (ability to protect society and youth, self protection, efficacy, cost). Ask students which of the consequences would best balance the interests of all parties involved. Gather background knowledge on Youth Criminal Justice Act Students are expected to access the internet and become familiar with the basics of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Ask students to use the above link or to find their own on line, students then must copy and paste into a google drive document sections of the act that serve the interests of four groupssociety at large, the criminal justice system, the victim and the accused. This document will be saved in their portfolio as part of the notes for this topic. Students will also use these notes as support for their arguments in the 4 sections discussion. (see below)

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Hold a Four Corners discussion on a shared Google Drive document Ask students to debate the issue by considering whether or not the interests of all parties are best served by this legislation. Students should focus on this question: Do we need the Youth Criminal Justice Act? Invite students to go to one of four sections of the Google Drive document labelled with these headings: Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree. Students need to use specific examples and criteria to support their statements.

Notes Remind students that effective participation in the discussion depends on the following actions: base their conclusions on relevant and accurate information support their opinions with sound, clearly articulated arguments remain open-minded and prepared to adjust their positions in the face of convincing arguments or new evidence.