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

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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. Observation of discussions in the class and on line 2. Using google drive to observe progress 3. 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) Case Study #1 Late one summer, John Smith attended a party at a friend's house. At the time, John Smith was 16 years old and was looking forward to returning to high school the next month. During the party, at which both drugs and alcohol were consumed, an argument broke out between some friends of the accused and some uninvited young men who had shown up around 11:30 p.m. When the accused attempted to intervene, he was confronted by one of the uninvited young men. In retaliation, Smith, the accused, punched the young man causing him to fall and strike his head. Smith was charged with assault causing bodily harm.

Case Study #2 While at the mall with a group of friends, Jane saw a sweater that she had seen in a magazine. It would be perfect for her to wear at an upcoming family event. The problem was, the sweater cost considerably more than Jane could afford. She decided to try on the sweater anyway. It was a perfect fit! Her friends all told her how amazing the sweater looked on her and that she just had to have it. When Jane stated sadly that she could not afford it, some of her friends offered to distract the sales people in the store so that she could slip the sweater into her bag. After much thought, Jane agreed. As she headed out of the store, the alarm sounded. She had been caught.

Case Study #3 When A. J. got his driver's licence, he could not wait to take his friends out for a drive. On a Saturday evening in the spring, A. J. and a group of his friends piled into the car and headed out from Lacombe toward Leduc. When they pulled up to a stoplight, a sporty car filled with another group of teens pulled up alongside. As they waited for the lights, the two cars began to rev their engines. When the light turned green the sporty car accelerated quickly. Not to be outdone, A. J. stepped on the gas, squealing tires, and his car followed in hot pursuit. The two cars sped down the road reaching speeds well above the speed limit. Suddenly, another car turned the corner into the path of the speeding cars. Swerving to avoid a collision, A.J.'s car hit the curb, flew across a lawn and smashed into the front of a house. Luckily, A. J. and his friends received only minor injuries but the front end of the car was destroyed and the house suffered several thousands of dollars in damage.

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.