Lesson Plan: The Plight of Juvenile Criminals
II. While Reading Activities
Vocabulary
Word Inference
- automatically |-ik(ə)lē| adverb-done or occurring spontaneously, without conscious thought or intention: automatic physical functions such as breathing.
- hardened |ˈhärdnd| adjective -• utterly fixed in a habit or way of life seen as bad: hardened criminals.
- prosecution |ˌpräsiˈkyo͞oSHən| noun-(the prosecution) [ treated as sing. or pl. ] the party instituting or conducting legal proceedings against someone in a lawsuit: the main witness for the prosecution.
- juvenile |ˈjo͞ovəˌnīl, -vənl|-adjective-of, for, or relating to young people: juvenile crime.
- adolescents cent |ˌadlˈesənt| -adjective-(of a young person) in the process of developing from a child into an adult.
- charged |CHärjd| verb-accuse (someone) of something, esp. an offense under law: they were charged with assault.
- commit verb |kəˈmit|-carry out or perpetrate (a mistake, crime, or immoral act): he committed an uncharacteristic error.
- intervention |ˌintərˈvenCHən| noun -a meeting in which people confront an addicted, or otherwise troubled, individual in order to persuade the individual to seek help.
- circulation |ˌsərkyəˈlāSHən|(abbr.: cir. or circ. ) noun-the public availability or knowledge of something: his music has achieved wide circulation.
- comprehensive ˌkämpriˈhensiv| adjective-complete; including all or nearly all elements or aspects of something: a comprehensive list of sources.
Source: New Oxford American Dictionary
Reading Comprehension
True /False/NA-Statements
- F- The two states where 16-year-olds are automatically tried as adults are New York and North Carolina.
- F-There is evidence that sending children into adult courts, destroys lives and further endangers the public by turning nonviolent youngsters into hardened criminals.
- F- Governor Andrew Cuomo took the first step to help this situation by raising the age for adult criminal prosecution.
- T-The juvenile justice system was created in 1962 under the Family Court Act.
- T- At the time, lawmakers were unable to agree on the age at which offenders should be declared adults, so they set it temporarily at 16.
- F- New York channels nearly 40,000 adolescents a year into the criminal courts.
- F- Most of them charged with nonviolent crimes like fare-beating in the subways, marijuana possession and shoplifting.
- NA-Adolescents shoplift because they need money for food.
- T- Connecticut wisely adopted a strategy based on rehabilitation, not lockups, reducing arrests and saving the state money.
- NA-Massachusetts is also considering raising the age for adult criminal prosecution.
Grammar Focus
Structure and Usage
I. 1-In New York, 16-year-olds are automatically tried as adults.
II. 3-Much has been learned since the 1960s.
III. 1- Minors prosecuted as adults commit more violent crimes later on.
IV. Listening Activity
Video Clip: Why are New York children being locked up like hardened criminals?
True /False/NA-Statements
- F- In New York kids get tried as adults at age 16.
- F- If we want to really improve behavior we have to “treat kids like kids”.
- T- According to Jim Czarniak the reform programs work in his county.
- F- The programs are available for kids who committed crimes before their 16th birthday.
- F- Ismael Nazario was arrested for assault at the age of 16.
- T- He was sent to Rikers Island and was beat up by older prisoners.
- F-According to Maurice Hines, younger kids join gangs in prison because they’re afraid.
- F- Many young people end up being stabbed and hurt in prison for adults.
- T- Dr. Andriana Galvan states that there are differences between the teenage brain and the adult brain.
- T- A teenager doesn’t think about consequences of committing a crime.
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