Juvenile Justice 2016

Develop Vocabulary
English, Government, U.S. History

Students should know the terminology used within different areas of study. In the Know provides vocabulary used in many of the articles related to criminal and juvenile justice. Teachers are encouraged to use and review these terms with students.

Check On Jobs
Career Education, Social Studies

Discuss the terms “juvenile justice,” “juvenile court system” and “protective services” with students. “U.S. courts handled more than 4,100 juvenile delinquency cases per day as of 2009,” according to a 2012 report of The National Center for Juvenile Justice. Even with the lower number of juveniles confined annually since then, there are many jobs generated to handle the different needs.

What careers are available related to juvenile justice? These would include case manager, correctional officer, family case manager, field supervisor — juvenile probation, judge, law enforcement officer, lawyer, probation officer, social worker. There are schools and libraries in correctional facilities that have openings for principals, counselors, teachers and librarians.

Ask students to do a Web search for employment related to juvenile justice. What are the educational and experiential requirements for employment? The salary range? Are internships available? Areas to consider include location, opportunities for advancement, mentoring and diversity (gender, race, sex).

Get Solitary Perspective
English, Journalism, Social Studies, U.S. History

In February 2013, columnist George Will wrote “The torture of solitary confinement.” He uses the movie “Zero Dark Thirty” as the springboard from which to address the topic. Although the focus is on incarcerated adults, he provides historic and legal perspective on solitary confinement that applied to juveniles.

Analyze the Latest on Solitary Confinement
English, Government, Journalism, Media Arts

In late January 2016, President Obama announced a ban on solitary confinement for juvenile offenders in the federal prison system. News reports, editorials, columns and guest commentary presented this story and responded to it.

Teachers should make sure students understand the different forms or genre of journalism. Reporters are expected to present the facts in an unbiased manner. Editorials are expected to use data, do research and provide reasoned opinion. Columnists and guest commentators provide personal perspectives on topics.

Read “Obama enacts prison reforms” for the news. President Obama provides Post readers with his reasoning to ban solitary confinement for juvenile offenders in the federal prison system in “Rethinking solitary confinement.” Also read The Post editorial, “Solitary ‘as a measure of last resort.’”

Teachers should note that President Obama’s online essay includes a video link to his speech to members of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People in July 2015 where he called for criminal justice reform.

 Give students “Take a Closer Look: Solitary Confinement.” This discussion guide includes the three selections — their content and construction.

Analyze an Editorial
English, Journalism, Social Studies, U.S. History

Compare and contrast an earlier Post editorial, “Rethinking solitary confinement,” October 19, 2014, with the 2016 editorial, “Solitary ‘as a measure of last resort.’”
• Has The Post’s point of view changed?
• Have more recent developments and studies influenced The Post’s perspective?

Begin Juvenile Court
Government, Journalism, Social Studies, U.S. History

The Chicago Tribune in June 2014 put recent cases of two 12-year-olds stabbing a classmate into historic perspective. Read “Chicago ushers in new era in 1899 with nation’s first juvenile court.” Discuss with students the 1899 first case heard in the new juvenile court. Questions would include:
• What is the “revolutionary” idea introduced in Chicago?
• What is added to the article by citing examples of juvenile treatment in the courts before 1899?
• What is student reaction to the manner in which young people were treated by the courts before 1899? Necessary or excessive?
• What is a socialite? What impact did socialites have on the treatment of juveniles?
• What is the reference to “Dickensian tragedies”

Understand Your Rights
Government, Social Studies, U.S. History

Considering juveniles as more than the property of their parents and guardians in the courts began in 1899. In 1964, the next major step to juvenile justice took place when the Supreme Court agreed to hear In re Gault. YOU and YOUR RIGHTS is a three-part introduction to this case and due process for juveniles.

 “You Be the Judge,” part one, lists the series of actions that took place. Teachers might move through the steps with students to capture the unfolding of events in the teenager’s life. The ABA Law Day online resources offers a less extensive list and the suggestion that students identify actions as Fair and Unfair. This leads to an understanding of due process. 

“Juveniles and Justice in 1964 and Before,” part two, provides a summary of the changing view of children and teens in relation to the law. See 1964 for the decision of the Arizona judge who heard Gault’s case. Teachers should reinforce the changing perspectives from property and punishment to individuals and rehabilitation. A secondary topic of consideration might be the success then and now in making youth offenders productive members of society.

“In re Gault and the Supreme Court,” part three, is a quiz to see if students understand the main points of this important Supreme Court case for establishing the due process rights of juveniles.

Change Juvenile Law
Government, Journalism, Political Science, Social Studies, U.S. History

Forty years after the Supreme Court case, Gerry Gault agreed to be interviewed by Jackie Baillargeon, Director of the Gideon Project of the Open Society Institute. Listen to the interview and read the transcript at “Gault Case Changed Juvenile Law.”

In addition to Gault, New York University Law Professor Norman Dorsen, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Judge David Bell and Tamara Steckler, attorney-in-charge, Juvenile Rights Division, Legal Aid Society, are interviewed.
• What does each panelist add to students’ understanding of the case?
• How has handling of juvenile cases changed in the 40 years?

Assess Solitary Confinement
Debate, English, Political Science, U.S. History, Government

“It’s an awful thing, solitary,” John McCain wrote of his time as a prisoner of war. “It crushes your spirit and weakens your resistance more effectively than any other form of mistreatment.” He was a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and had served in the Navy for nine years before being captured by the North Vietnamese. Consider the impact of solitary confinement on teenagers.

Review the news articles, editorials, column, blogs and commentary, and studies done on juveniles and solitary confinement. Summarize your conclusions. Write an editorial or column, prepare a short broadcast commentary or prepare a radio spot on the subject of solitary confinement for incarcerated juveniles. Consider the different perspectives and debate the validity of solitary confinement for juveniles.

Get Graphic
Government, Journalism, Mathematics, U.S. History

The “Juvenile Confinement” activity provides students practice in reading graphs and making graphs. Three reliable sources to get data about youth offenders and youth confinement are used: The U.S. Census Bureau, the Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the FBI. The last exercise asks students to use data and a press release to reach a conclusion.

Use Data and Experience
Economics, Government, Journalism, U.S. History

Reform of the criminal justice system is a complex area of study with differing perspectives on areas such as rehabilitation and recidivism, use of solitary confinement, value of continuing education classes, the role of family contact, sentencing discretion by judges, mandatory minimum sentences and mandatory life sentences.

Differences exist between local, state and federal penal systems. Teachers could ask students to work in research teams to explore all three levels or to examine different topics within the federal prison context. In the sidebar are a number of agencies and organizations that supply data, reports and studies. These could be starting points.

Do a search of The Washington Post for articles. These will be found in News and Metro sections primarily. Read and discuss these two examples:
• “Virginia awarded federal grant for juvenile re-entry services” by Jenna Portnoy, October 9, 2015
• “An unprecedented experiment in mass forgiveness,” by Rob Kuznia, February 8, 2016

Washington Post bloggers also cover these issues:
• “Throwing children in prison turns out to be a really bad idea” by WonkBlog writer Brad Plumer shares a 2013 study by two economists. Read and discuss the ideas presented on the impact of building “criminal capital.”

We also encourage reading and viewing for personal perspectives:

• “This political scientist spent a year in prison. Here’s what he learned.”
• “Phone calls won’t cost up to $14 a minute anymore but here’s how prisoners’ families are still being fleeced”
• Out of Jail, Into Society

Set Up an e-Replica Alert
Government, Journalism, Media Arts
On October 1, 2015, a bipartisan group of senators introduced an omnibus bill that includes reduction of mandatory minimum sentences for many drug crimes, limitation on solitary confinement for juvenile offenders, sealing and expunging more juvenile records and release of elderly prisoners.

Follow discussion and the progress of the federal “Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act” as it makes its way through Congress. Use the alert feature of The Post’s e-Replica program. Discuss with students the different terms that may get the most specific results.

Results might include news articles, oped pieces and commentary. In addition to the print edition of The Post check for blog postings on the topic. For example, on February 8, Fact Checker examined the arguments given by an opponent of the bill in “Sen. Tom Cotton’s claim that sentencing reform bill would release ‘thousands of violent felons.’”

Examine the Court’s Decision
Government, Political Science, U.S. History
In January 2016, the Supreme Court ruled on Montgomery v. Louisiana, a case that dealt with juveniles who had been sentenced to mandatory life imprisonment after they had spent years in prison. The case involved a 2012 ruling in Miller v. Alabama in which the Court had ruled out mandatory life imprisonment without parole for juveniles.

Read Post legal reporter Robert Barnes’ January 26, 2016, article, “Life terms for youths open for later review.” The case has been called a landmark decision. Have students summarize the decision, the majority opinion and the minority opinion.

After discussing the decision, ask students to indicate their viewpoint on how this decision relates to due process, public safety, rehabilitation and juvenile justice.

Consider Impact on States
Government, Political Science

Maryland and the District of Columbia do not have mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles. Virginia does. Read and discuss the three articles that give different perspectives on the issue faced by the governor, state legislators, judges, inmates and their families.
• “Life terms for youths open for later review”
• “Va. governor, GOP lawmakers seek common ground”
• “Life terms of youths who murdered in limbo”

What would students do if they were members of the state legislature? The governor? A Virginia Supreme Court judge? A family member?

Post NIE Guide Editor & Writer | Carol Lange
Post NIE Guide Art Editor | Carol Porter