Juvenile Justice
English 4
Quick write
If you committed a crime and you were
under the age of 18, do you think it would
be fair for you to be punished like an adult
who committed the same crime?
Key Concepts ?s
What characteristics make a person an
adult, juvenile, or child? Who is a juvenile
and what qualities are different about a
juvenile compared to an adult or a child?
Brainstorm a list of qualities that
characterize a juvenile but not an adult or
a child.
Definitions
Homicide: killing of one person or another
either intentionally or unintentionally.
Includes accidents and murders.
Murder: killing of someone with malice of
forethought. It could be done while
committing another crime. Murder is
always illegal.
1st degree murder: killing of a person with
malice of forethought; the crime was planned.
2nd degree murder: killing done during a crime
deemed very dangerous to a human life. The
crime was most likely not committed with the
intention of killing.
Voluntary manslaughter: killing someone
intentionally but without malice of forethought.
Involuntary manslaughter: killing someone
unlawfully but without malice of forethought
Definition differences
Explain the differences in your own words
of the legal terms.
Matching Activity
A 17 year old troubled girl has been slowly
poisoning her parents each night at
dinner. 3 months go by and she arrives
home to find them dead on the floor of
the kitchen. The coroner’s report indicated
their death was caused by Cyanide
poisoning.
And her sentencing is…
sentencing
Sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Situation 2
Three 16 year olds were hangout out at
the park drinking Jack Daniels. One boy
starts shoving his friend. Soon the shoving
escalated into punching. One boy tripped
and his head hit a sharp-edged rock. He
died of a concussion before help can
arrive.
And the sentencing is…
Sentencing
Sentenced to 3 years in prison after being
tried as an adult.
Situation 2
Thinking his girlfriend is cheating, a 16-
year-old boy goes to her house and finds
her in bed with his brother. Impulsively,
he grabs the nearest lamp and hits his
brother on the head. His brother dies from
a concussion two days later.
And the sentencing is…
Sentencing
Sentenced to 6 years in prison
Situation 4
A 13 year old boy breaks into an auto
parts business to steal hubcaps. The 17
year old security guard picks up his boss’
gun and fires 2 warning shots at the thief.
The second shot hits the 13 year old and
kills him on the spot.
And the sentencing is…
Sentencing
Sentenced to 15 years to life.
Surveying the Texts
What do the titles of the two articles “Kids are
Kids” and “Supreme court to Rule on Executing
Young Killers” tell you they will be about?
“Kids are Kids” was published in The Sacramento
Bee. “Supreme Court to Rule was published in
The New York Times. What can you predict
about them based on their length of their
paragraphs? How do you think they will be the
same? How do you think they will be different?
What issue do you think these articles are going
to discuss? What position do you think Kiptak
and Lundstrom will take?
Making Predictions
What do you think “Supreme Court to Rule on
Executing Young Killers” is going to be about?
What do you think is the purpose of this text?
Who do you think is the intended audience for
this piece? How do you know this?
Based on the title and other features of the text,
what information and ideas might this essay
present?
Read 1st 6 paragraphs
What is Lundstrom’s opinion on that topic
of juvenile crime?
Turn the title into a question to answer as
you read the essay
Key Vocabulary
Constitutionality Inconsistency
Prosecutors Quandary
Demeanor Heinous
Remorse Coddling
Alienated Perpetuating
Nonchalant
Plummeting
Culpability
Mitigating
1st reading
Which of your predictions turned out to be true?
What surprised you?
As you read the articles, you will find that they
discuss 5 recent cases in which teenagers were
tried as adults for violent crimes.
Defendant, Age, Crime, Sentence
Highlight where the arguments are made in the
texts for or against punishing juveniles like
adults.
Rereading the Text
Read playing the doubting game.
Label what the author is saying in the left
hand margin: intro, issue or problem,
main arguments, examples, conclusion.
Right hand margin, write your reactions
Trade and discuss.
Why Thompson chose to use the
following words
Massive (p7) Reckless actions
Wildfire (p7) (p10)
Purged (p7) Startling (p10)
Violent passions (p7) Delicate (p10)
Rash actions (p7) Drastic (p10)
Vastly immature (p7)
Erratic behavior (p9)
Maelstrom (p10)
Sentences
Thompson’s sentences are fairly long and
complex, but the last sentence in
paragraph 6 is short. Why is this sentence
so short?
Summary
Write a summary of “many kids called
unfit for adult trial” by Greg Krikorian.
Logos
What are Krikorian’s major claims and
assertions? Do you agree with his claims?
Are any of his claims weak or
unsupported? Which one and why?
Can you think of counter arguments that
Krikorian doesn’t consider?
Ethos
Krikorian is reporting on a study by Thomas
Grisso. What is Grisso’s background? Do you
think he is trustworthy?
Krikorian also quotes Laurence Steinburg. Who
is he? Is he a reliable person to interpret what
the study means?
Krikorian is a staff writer for the LA Times who
frequenctly writes about legal issues. Does he
seem trustworthy to write about this topic?
Explain.
Can you tell what Krikorian’s POV is, or can you
only tell the POV of the author of the study?
Pathos
Does “Many kids” affect you emotionally?
Explain.
Do you think Krikorian is trying to
manipulate your emotions? In what ways?
At what point?
Do your emotions conflict with the logical
interpretation of the arguments?
Logos
What are Thompson’s major claims and
assertions? Do you agree with his claims?
Are any of his claims weak or
unsupported? Explain.
Can you think of counter-arguments that
Thompson doesn’t consider?
Ethos
What is Thompson’s background? Do you
think he is trustworthy?
Does Thompson seem deceptive? Why or
why not?
Can you tell what Thompson’s POV is?
Pathos
Does “Startling Finds” affect you
emotionally? What parts?
Do you think Thompson is trying to
manipulate your emotions? IN what ways?
At what point?
Do your emotions conflict with the logical
interpretation of the arguments?
Writing Assignment
Should teenagers accused of violent
crimes be tried and sentenced as adults?
Why or why not?
Be sure to refer to and cite the reading
and your web-based research. You may
also use examples from your personal
experience or observations