NCJ Number
78796
Date Published
Unknown
Length
63 pages
Annotation
This kit contains materials for use in a simulation game which provides students the chance to participate in a simulated sentencing hearing both for adult and juvenile defendants who have been found guilty of various infractions of the law.
Abstract
The game is designed to promote understanding of the problems of young people who appear before adult and juvenile courts and of the difficulties experienced by courts and public officials in trying to help these youths. An introductory section in the teacher's manual presents background information on juvenile court procedures, based on California law. Instructions are also provided on how to seat the participants and conduct the game. The 25 to 35 participants are divided into 5 groups consisting of 6 to 9 people each. Each group receives a different case history packet, which contains case information; descriptions of the roles of judge, defendant, parents, probation officer, lawyers, and observers at a juvenile dispositional hearing and at an adult sentencing hearing; and a probation report. The five cases include those of an abused child, a juvenile prostitute, a juvenile drug abuser, a drunk driver, and a shoplifter. The kit also contains a copy of the Bill of Rights Newsletter on the subject of children's rights. The newsletter contains discussions of the neglected child, the problem child, and the delinquent child; a classroom simulation involving student rights; a discussion of the growth of child advocacy; and a bibliography listing 12 sources. Background information on children's rights is also provided.