Why genocides occur is a perplexing and complex question. Leanne Judson reports a strategy designed to help students think about perpetration and evaluate and propose explanations for perpetrators' actions. Students in a mixed ability class were given explanations of differing levels of complexity to evaluate, drawing on a wide range of complex…

Education-Based Incarceration and Recidivism: The Ultimate Social Justice Crime Fighting Tool takes a penetrating look at the needs and challenges of society's disenfranchised jail populations. It is incumbent to encourage public awareness of the causes that underlie the destructive cycles plaguing these populations, including the abuse and…

Facing History and Ourselves has developed "Teaching The Reckoning" to help classrooms explore essential questions about judgment by studying the creation of the International Criminal Court. Ever since the Nuremberg Trials, individuals around the world have imagined how an international judicial body could be used to prevent genocide,…

This year's rollercoaster primary elections and the pending national election, with an anticipated record voter turnout, provide the perfect backdrop for an examination of the questions: (1) Who can vote?; and (2) Who will vote? Historically, the American government refused voting rights to various groups based on race, gender, age, and even…

For many students, high school coursework consists of discrete subjects, each disconnected from the other, but together adding up to a high school diploma. Nonetheless, at the classroom level one can find many examples of integrated, interdisciplinary, or cross-subject teaching. Some pursue this approach because they consider that high school…

No hovering administrators. No high-stakes tests. No pestering parents. Barb Hagen teaches murderers and sex offenders, and she loves her work. This article describes the experiences of Barb Hagen, a prison education teacher. Barb Hagen could not save the troubled middle-schoolers she taught for 20 years. Now she helps inmates get their lives back…

Uses five unusual indifference curve exercises to show how changing the jail sentence and changing the reward for good behavior can influence the crime rate. Recommends eliminating minimum sentencing while raising sentencing and increasing the rewards for good behavior. Includes illustrative graphs for each exercise. (MJP)

This booklet, designed for use in secondary social studies classes and adult groups, explores the differing perspectives on the causes and prevention of violent crime. The problem, according to the first perspective, is that the sharp increase in crime is due to the absence of punishment. The most promising solution is to get tougher with all…

One of a series of resources for teaching sociology at the postsecondary level, this volume contains syllabi and instructional materials for courses in criminology and criminal justice. Material is divided into four sections. Section 1, innovative approaches to the teaching of criminology, contains four papers which discuss a corrections practicum…

Contends that often lawmakers misread their constituents' opinions on important issues. Presents data from an Indiana survey that suggest support for the death penalty vanishes when citizens are given the option of life in prison without possibility of parole combined with a requirement of work and restitution. (MJP)

Describes a classroom activity in which students complete a survey about the relative seriousness of 22 deviant or criminal behaviors crimes. Provides several opportunities for in-depth class discussion. Identifies limitations of the exercise and presents methods to overcome them. (CFR)

This handbook is intended to help trainers develop competencies for self-employment in ex-criminal offenders. The materials are presented in 11 sections. The first section provides a rationale for entrepreneurial training for ex-offenders and suggests teaching principles and methodologies. The next section describes recruitment, screening, and…

Asserts that moral or behavioral deviants are unlikely to change their attitudes or behavior through traditional moral development or values education programs. Reviews literature on rehabilitation efforts and presents a three-phase model of moral development that reflects developmental stages in a person's life. (CFR)

This program guide provides the information a study circle will need to discuss the death penalty. It offers a balanced, nonpartisan presentation of a spectrum of views. The four positions and the supporting material are designed for use in a single-session program of approximately 2 hours. The four positions are as follows: (1) the death penalty…

Presents a secondary lesson in which students examine the goals of corrective justice and the differences between wrongs and injuries. Includes two critical thinking exercises based on case studies, a cartoon designed to stimulate student thinking, and a student worksheet. (CFR)