eaching notes Key Stage: KS4. Criminal Justice System 3 How does the Youth Justice System work? Resources: internet access Resource 1 Quick quiz true or false? Resource 2 Key words and events Resource 3 Stages of the Youth Justice System Resource 4 he Youth Justice System and the role of each person involved. Objectives: Students understand the term young offender and how young offenders are dealt with in the Criminal Justice System. Students learn the different stages of the Youth Justice System and the role of the people involved at each stage. iming: between 45 minutes and 75 minutes depending on options chosen. Starter Youube video (15 minutes) 1. Students watch the following video on Youube: Youth Court 100 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=171wuhner8 (10 minutes, 23 seconds). he video makes a comparison between youth courts 100 years ago and now - 10 minutes, 23 seconds. 2. You could stop the video after one minute and ask students what punishment they think the boy deserves for stealing pork pies. 3. At the end, ask students the following questions: How have youth courts changed in 100 years? Is the system more fair now than in the past? Students should justify their answers. Activity 1 Youth Justice quiz (quick version: 15 minutes; challenging version: 30 minutes) In pairs, students complete Resource 1 Quick quiz true or false?. hey could find the answers in Resource 2 Key words and events or, for a more challenging version, research the answers on the following websites: https://www.gov.uk/age-of-criminal-responsibility http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/advice/factfile_az/crime_young_offenders http://www.kent.gov.uk/childrens_social_services/youth_offending_service.aspx https://www.gov.uk/courts/youth-courts https://www.gov.uk/young-people-in-custody/what-custody-is-like-for-young-people http://sentencingcouncil.judiciary.gov.uk/sentencing/types-sentence-young-people.htm http://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/dec/16/bulger.marktran See p.4 for suggested answers. www.teachitcitizenship.co.uk 2013 21477 Page 1 of 8
Criminal Justice System 3 How does the Youth Justice System work? Activity 2 sequencing activity (5 minutes) 1. Students work in pairs. Give each pair a set of Resource 2 Stages of the Youth Justice System, cut up into strips and jumbled. 2. Students discuss with each other the order of the different stages and then place them in the order they think is correct. 3. You could use the interactive version on www.teachitcitizenship.co.uk (Quick search: ) for plenary feedback. 4. hen hand out a copy of the complete Resource 2 Stages of the Youth Justice System sheet for students to stick in their notes. Activity 3 completing a table of information (15 minutes optional) Optional activity to consolidate the learning from Activity 2. 1. Individually students fill in Resource 3 he Youth Justice System and the role of each person. 2. Students swap sheets and mark each other s work using the answer sheet on p.8. Plenary hot seat revision of keywords (10 minutes) 1. Students work in teams of four or five. One student from each group sits in the hot seat, with their back to the board. 2. Write a keyword from the lesson on the board. Each team must define the keyword to their team member in the hot seat, without saying the word itself or a part of that word. 3. he first hot seat student to guess the keyword correctly wins a point for their team. 4. Students take turns to be in the hot seat until all the keywords have been defined. Further weblinks for teachers Journey hrough he Youth Justice System (2008) a film about a young offender 13 minutes, 20 seconds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pz-fctgrmw http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/custodial-sentences https://www.gov.uk/youth-offending-team http://www.derby.gov.uk/community-and-living/youth-offending/youth-justice-policereprimands-and-final-warning/ http://www.justice.gov.uk/offenders/types-of-offender/life www.teachitcitizenship.co.uk 2013 21477 Page 2 of 8
Criminal Justice System 3 How does the Youth Justice System work? Resource 1 Quick quiz true or false? Are the statements about the criminal justice system true or false? If they are false, correct them. 1. You are liable for a criminal offence at the age of 10. /F 2. Sammy is 10 years old. He can be tried in an adult court. 3. he term young offender includes all offenders under the age of 21. 4. he main aim of sentencing young offenders is to reform and rehabilitate them. 5. Young offenders are dealt with by special magistrates courts called youth courts. 6. s aged 18 20 can be sent to a young offenders institution as a custodial sentence. 7. Any offender aged 10 17 who is convicted of murder must be given a custodial sentence. 8. he Jamie Bulger case (1993) is a good example of a breach of human rights, as the offenders were minors who were tried in an adult court. www.teachitcitizenship.co.uk 2013 21477 Page 3 of 8
Quick quiz answers Criminal Justice System 3 How does the Youth Justice System work? /F 1. You are liable for a criminal offence at the age of 10. Source: https://www.gov.uk/age-of-criminal-responsibility 2. Sammy is 10 years old. He can be tried in an adult court. F He can t be tried in an adult court if he is tried, it has to be in a youth court. Source: https://www.gov.uk/age-of-criminal-responsibility 3. he term young offender includes all offenders under the age of 21. F Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/advice/factfile_az/crime_young_offenders 4. he main aim of sentencing young offenders is to reform and rehabilitate them. Source: http://www.kent.gov.uk/childrens_social_services/youth_offending_service.aspx 5. Young offenders are dealt with by special magistrates courts called youth courts. Source: https://www.gov.uk/courts/youth-courts 6. s aged 18 20 can be sent to a young offenders institution as a custodial sentence. Source: https://www.gov.uk/young-people-in-custody/what-custody-is-like-for-young-people 7. Any offender aged 10 17 who is convicted of murder must be given a life sentence. F hey cannot be given a custodial sentence until they are 12. However, if they are over 12, they must be given a life sentence. Sources: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/advice/factfile_az/crime_young_offenders http://sentencingcouncil.judiciary.gov.uk/sentencing/types-sentence-young-people.htm 8. he Jamie Bulger case (1993) is a good example of a breach of human rights, as the offenders were minors who were tried in an adult court. Source: http://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/dec/16/bulger.marktran www.teachitcitizenship.co.uk 2013 21477 Page 4 of 8
Criminal Justice System 3 How does the Youth Justice System work? Resource 2 Key words and events Custodial sentence Jamie Bulger case Liable Life sentence Magistrate s courts A punishment where offenders are held in a secure place, for example in prison or in a young offenders institution. Young people cannot be given a custodial sentence until they are 12 years old. In 1993, two 10-year-old boys led two-year-old Jamie Bulger out of a shopping centre in Liverpool. hey took him to a railway, beat him with bricks, sticks and a piece of steel track, and then left his body on the railway. he two boys, Robert hompson and Jon Venables, were tried in an adult court and convicted of murder. hey were sentenced to eight years in prison and this was later increased to 15 years. In 1999, the European court of human rights ruled that the hompson and Venables did not receive a fair trial. Legally responsible. In England and Wales, criminal liability starts 10 years old. For some serious offences such as murder, a life sentence has to be given, even for young offenders. However, in the UK a life sentence does not usually mean that an offender spends the rest of their life in prison. A minimum period is given and the offender is not automatically released at the end of that period. hey are only released if the authorities are satisfied that they no longer pose a risk to the public. Magistrates courts deal with less serious offences by adults and cases involving young offenders. Unlike in a crown court, there is no jury. Cases are usually dealt with more quickly and the sentences are less severe. Minors People who are not adults yet (under the age of 18). A minor offence means a crime that is not very serious, like shoplifting or antisocial behaviour. Rehabilitate Reform Sentencing ried Young offender Young offender s institution Youth courts Help someone get out of a criminal lifestyle and become a respectable citizen. Help someone improve their behaviour. Giving an official punishment. Legally judged as innocent or guilty. Someone aged 10-17 who has committed a criminal offence. Young offenders are not sent to prison. Instead, they can be sent to a young offender s institution. hese are run by the Prison Service and private companies. s aged 18 21 can also be sent there instead of to prison, but they are housed in a separate building from young offenders. A youth court is a type of magistrates court for people aged 10 18. Youth courts are less formal than adult courts, there is no jury, and members of the public are not allowed. www.teachitcitizenship.co.uk 2013 21477 Page 5 of 8
Criminal Justice System 3 How does the Youth Justice System work? Resource 3 Stages of the Youth Justice System Stage 1 Informal warning: his is an informal verbal caution carried out by a senior police officer and is only issued to first time offenders or for minor offences. Stage 2 Reprimand: If the offence is more serious, or if the young person is offending for the second time, they can be given a reprimand a formal verbal warning at the police station in the presence of their parents. Stage 3 Final warning: If the young person has already received a reprimand, or has committed a more serious first offence, they can be given a final warning by a senior police officer and referred to the Youth Offending eam. Stage 4 he Youth Offending eam (YO) are part of the local council. hey work with social services, the police and probation officers to provide counselling and guidance alongside personalised programmes aimed at improving the young offender s behaviour. Stage 5 Youth court: If the crime is serious, for example murder or manslaughter, or if the young person has offended several times, they will go to a youth court. here will be a judge or magistrate to decide the sentence, a lawyer for the prosecution and a lawyer for the defence to present both sides of the case, but no jury or members of the public. he young offender can be issued with a custodial sentence (but not in a prison), a community sentence or a fine, depending on their age and the nature of the crime. www.teachitcitizenship.co.uk 2013 21477 Page 6 of 8
Resource 4 he Youth Justice System and the role of each person involved Criminal Justice System 3 How does the Youth Justice System work? Stage of the Youth Justice System List the people involved Describe the peoples roles at each stage Informal warning Reprimand Final warning Youth offending team Youth court www.teachitcitizenship.co.uk 2013 21477 Page 7 of 8
he Youth Justice System and the role of each person involved answers Criminal Justice System 3 How does the Youth Justice System work? Stage of the Youth Justice System Informal warning Reprimand Final warning Youth offending team Youth court List the people involved Police Police Parents Police Referral to the YO Police Social services Probation officer Victim Judge or Magistrate Prosecution Defence Describe the peoples roles at each stage If it is the first time a young person has offended and if the offence is minor, the young person will receive an informal warning from a senior police officer. If the offence is more serious, or if the young person is offending for the second time, they can be given a reprimand at the police station by a senior police officer in the presence of the offender s parents. If the young person has already received a reprimand, or has committed a more serious first offence, they can be given a final warning by a senior police officer and referred to the Youth Offending eam. he Youth Offending eam (YO) are part of the local council. hey work with social services, the police and probation officers to provide counselling and guidance alongside personalised programmes aimed at improving the young offender s behaviour. If the crime is serious, for example murder or manslaughter, or if the young person has offended several times, they will go to a youth court. here will be a judge or magistrate to decide the sentence, a lawyer for the prosecution and a lawyer for the defence to present both sides of the case, but no jury or members of the public. he young offender can be issued with a custodial sentence (but not in a prison), a community sentence or a fine, depending on their age and the nature of the crime. www.teachitcitizenship.co.uk 2013 21477 Page 8 of 8