NCJ Number
137432
Date Published
1987
Length
560 pages
Annotation
This curriculum provides practical information and problem-solving opportunities for students to allow them to develop law-related knowledge and skills. It uses case studies, mock trials, role plays, small group exercises, opinion polls, and visual analysis activities; it also requires the use of community resource people and community experiences including court tours and police ride-alongs.
Abstract
The first section introduces law and the legal system, and discusses how laws are enacted, how disputes are settled outside of court, and how the court adversarial system works. Components of criminal and juvenile justice are covered in the second section, including crime causes; crime victims; types of offenses; and steps in the criminal justice process including arrest, search and seizure, interrogations and confessions, pre-trial proceedings, the trial, sentencing, and corrections. The section on consumer law examines Federal, State, and local consumer protection laws in general and how they specifically relate to deceptive sales practices, contracts, warranties, unsafe or dangerous products, credit, default and collection, and cars. The curriculum explores various facets of family law including marriage, legal rights of single people, parental obligations, foster care and adoption, family problems, government support for needy families, and the legal implications of death. Housing law, in terms of the rights and duties of landlords and tenants and aspects of renting or buying homes, are covered in the fifth section. The section on individual rights and liberties focuses on freedoms of speech, press, association, assembly, and religion; due process; discrimination; and the right to privacy. The volume contains a California State supplement. 3 appendixes