Citizenship at key stage 3    (Year 7-9)

• Give the class a list of offences sometimes committed by young people, eg shoplifting, breaking into cars, picking a fight, speeding, driving under the influence, solvent abuse, doing a paper round at the age of 11, shouting racist abuse, being sold alcohol in a pub at the age of 16. Ask them a) which of these are crimes, and b) which of them, if any, are 'victimless'.
• Ask pupils to identify the victim(s) of each of these offences, and consider how the offence would affect them, eg health, emotional, other. Is it possible to distinguish between 'serious' and 'less serious' offences? If so, how? Tell pupils that while some offences have no apparent victims, eg taking Ecstasy, the offenders themselves might suffer as a result, eg by gaining a criminal record or going to a youth detention centre, or health-related problems.

• Ask the class to look at the list of offences from the first activity again, considering which of the following factors might lead someone to commit each one, eg emotional immaturity, peer pressure, lack of empathy, a desire for excitement, a drug or alcohol habit. Could the offender have been affected by poverty, peer pressure or other factors? For example, shoplifting might result from peer pressure and/or a desire for excitement. Ask pupils to think of factors, positive and negative, that might stop young people committing crimes, and how effective each factor might be.

• Use a graph to show pupils that criminal activity peaks at the age of 18 for males and at the age of 15 for females, dropping rapidly after that. Discuss possible reasons for the trends, relating the figures to the pupils' own experience. Ask pupils to consider why crime committed by young women is on the increase, while crime committed by young men is fairly stable. What can, or should, be done about it?
• Pupils consider statistics relating to the types of crimes young people commit, eg 66 per cent of crimes committed by 18-year-old males are property crimes, while 10 per cent are violent crimes and 10 per cent are drug-related crimes.Discuss the relative seriousness of these offences for the victim(s), the perpetrator and society as a whole.

• Introduce the concept of the age of criminal responsibility, pointing out that, until recently, children aged 10 to 14 had to be proved capable of understanding the consequences of their actions before they could be convicted. Ask pupils: do you feel it was right to abolish this convention? Compare the age of criminal responsibility in England with that in other countries, discussing possible reasons for the differences. Ask pupils to discuss the concept of relative levels of responsibility for a crime, and the legal notion of aiding and abetting. Should someone who stands by and watches while a crime is committed be held responsible?

• Pupils consider and discuss what happens to a young person who is arrested. What are their rights? What evidence can be given against them? What safeguards are there to prevent miscarriages of justice? Explain the differences between a youth court and an adult court. Conduct a mock trial, showing the efforts made to present evidence even-handedly. This could be based on a current case reported in the national or local media. Pupils can also follow the case in the media.

• Using material from newspapers and organisations such as the Howard League and the Prison Reform Trust, discuss issues surrounding the treatment of young people convicted of crimes. Make the point that this debate tends to be polarised between hardliners and reformers. Refer to the Human Rights Act and Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which outlaws 'inhuman or degrading' punishments.

• Ask pupils to write down how they think most adults see young people, maybe offering suggestions, eg lazy/hardworking, apathetic/enthusiastic, law-abiding/delinquent. Is there agreement within the class? If possible, conduct a survey of adults on the same question. Discuss the results. How far do the pupils agree with the adults' views? Do the responses of the adults vary with their age? Discuss the treatment of crime in the media. Is it balanced? How does it affect the public's general perception of crime? What, if anything, can be done to correct negative media images? Discuss why fear of crime can be a problem for some sectors of the adult population.
• Discuss ways to influence popular opinion and counter stereotypes, eg write letters to the media, such as editors of national/local papers, or TV programmes.