January 06, 2003

TRYING TEENS:
Exploring the Development of the Juvenile Justice System in the United States

Grades:  6-8, 9-12

Subjects:  Civics, Language Arts, Social Studies

Related New York Times Article
"Life Sentence for Fla. Boy Found Troubling, By DANA CANEDY", January 06, 2003

Overview of Lesson Plan:: In this lesson, students will learn about the court cases and legal organizations that were instrumental in creating a system of juvenile justice in the United States, then present their findings in a composite timeline illustrating the history of the juvenile courts.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE:   1 hour

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

  1. Explore the basis for developing a separate judicial system for juveniles.
  2. Examine how a young boy ended up with a lifetime prison sentence by reading discussing the article, "Life Sentence for a Fla. Boy Found Troubling."
  3. Research an organization or court case that helped to shape the U.S. juvenile justice system into what it is today; create posters that make up segments in an illustrated timeline showing the development of this system.
  4. Develop a position paper analyzing their own personal views on the juvenile courts and propose improvements or changes to the current judicial system.

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:

  1. WARM-UP/DO NOW: Students respond to the following prompt in their journals (written on the board prior to class):
    "According to a report from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, the first juvenile court in the United States was based on the doctrine of 'parens patriae' (the state as parent), which allows the state to take the role of parents to protect juveniles, both when the child does something wrong and when there is harm done to the child. Do you agree or disagree with this judicial policy? Why? Give examples of the types of situations that may come up where the state might need to protect a child." After a few minutes, allow students time to share their responses. List the situations where the state may need to act on behalf of a child on the board. Does a parent have complete control over a child? Why or why not? Who is responsible for the actions of a child? What is the best way to punish a child?
  2. As a class, read the article "Life Sentence for Fla. Boy Found Troubling" focusing on the following questions:
    1. Why is Lionel Tate in prison?
    2. What was his punishment?
    3. What did the prosecutor want Lionel’s punishment to be? Why?
    4. What did Governor Jeb Bush promise?
    5. What would have happened to Lionel if he had pleaded guilty to manslaughter?
    6. What does Ken Padowitz believe should be the punishment for a juvenile convicted of a heinous crime?
    7. Why is this case being closely watched?
    8. Who is Nathaniel Brazill?
    9. Who are Derek and Alex King?
    10. What did Stephen Dankner want to do as a juror on Lionel’s case?
    11. Between what two systems does Mr. Padowitz believe Lionel has been caught?
    12. What does Bernard Perlmutter think about the backlash surrounding Lionel’s case?
    13. What type of punishment did Ms. Eunick-Paul favor for Lionel?
    14. What is Lionel’s schedule like in prison?
    15. Why aren’t Lionel’s incarceration records available?
  3. Divide class into seven groups. Explain that each group will be assigned to an organization or court case that helped to shape a judicial system for juveniles in the U.S. Each group will research their assigned topic and create a poster that will become part of a class timeline illustrating the development of the U.S. Juvenile Justice System. Assign each group one of the following topics, accompanied by a web site to help students begin their research:
    -Group 1: New York House of Refuge
    -Group 2: Children’s Aid Society
    -Group 3: Illinois Juvenile Court Act
    -Group 4: Kent v. United States
    -Group 5: Schall v. Martin
    -Group 6: Appeal of Samuel Winship
    Groups should research answers to the following questions (written on the board or copied into a handout for easier student access):Once research is completed, each group should make sure all its members have notes on the information for use in completing the homework assignment. Then, each group will work together to create a poster that will serve as one segment in a composite timeline illustrating the history of the Juvenile Justice System in the United States. Be sure that each poster includes the date in which the organization began or court case occurred.
  4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Individually, students will write a position paper explaining their views on juvenile justice. This paper should explore whether or not the student agrees or disagrees with the precedents and actions taken by the juvenile courts they encountered in their research, and should provide factual evidence to support their position. In summary, students should present any ideas they have to improve or change juvenile justice practices in their country.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

VOCABULARY:
garnered, clemency, reprieve, heinous, lacerated, mandatory, lenient, coping, incarceration

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

  1. Conduct a mock trial to give students the decision-making experience of a juror. In order to prepare for this trial, students should research the roles of the lawyers, jurors, defendant and prosecutor. The teacher or another adult can act as the judge. Afterwards, students will write a short reflection paper processing their feelings about this experience. Is this a "just" system for trying accused offenders? Why or why not? Should jurors be able to discuss their feelings about a trial after the trial is over? Why or why not?
  2. Create a "day in the life" diary of someone in juvenile detention: Research what juvenile offenders do while in detention. Compare this with what youth of the same age do in society. Is what they do a productive use of their time? Do you think it is effective in rehabilitating juvenile offenders? Why or why not?
  3. Conduct a classroom debate on whether or not Lionel Tate should be granted clemency. [Learn about clemency and the issues surrounding it at Death Row Information Center and The Florida Parole Commission .] Explore answers to questions such as: Who has the power to grant clemency? Why was clemency granted? Should Lionel be granted clemency?
  4. Write a letter to an imaginary juvenile offender who has served 6 years in detention. Imagine this person went into detention at the age of 12, a pre-teen, and is being released at 18 years old, an adult. What information, skills, etc. does this person need to know in order to make a successful re-entry into society? Make a list of these things and discuss why they are important.

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Fine Arts- Create a multimedia collage illustrating some of the controversial or emotional issues presented in the article "Life Sentence for Fla. Boy Troubling." Write a brief artist’s statement to accompany your piece.

Mathematics- Visit the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Policy's report of FBI arrest statistics (http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/ojstatbb/ezaucr/asp/ucr_display.asp) Search for statistics about crimes in your state, then create pie charts, bar graphs or another type of chart to illustrate the answers to questions such as:

Media Studies- Examine the role of television coverage in court rooms. How could this media influence the outcome of cases? How could this media help or hinder the appeals process for cases such as the one described in the article. [You may want to begin your search at the Museum of Broadcast Communications

Copyright 2003
The New York Times Company

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