Year 7 - Citizenship
Is the media representing the reality of youth crime?
What is crime?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
Pupils consider what crime is, what causes criminal behaviour and how communities can help prevent crime. They also explore whether youth crime is really as serious as the media portrays.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain what youth crime is, analyse how it is portrayed in the media and identify the impact this can have.
Key Notes
- The justice system deals with youth crime differently to crimes committed by adults.
- Each year the Government releases statistics about crime, these include youth crime statistics.
- According to a 2024 report, media coverage of young people is twice as likely to be negative as it is to be positive.
- Actions to improve media portrayal include petitions, events, campaigns and creating new news sources.
Vocabulary To Learn
- youth crime: crimes committed by people above the age of criminal responsibility, but under the age of 18
- media: the different ways we share and receive information on a large scale; this includes things like television, radio, newspapers and the internet
- impact: a strong effect or influence something has on a person, group or situation
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Most young people are involved in crime because the media shows so many negative stories about them.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
The justice system deals with youth crime differently to crimes committed by adults. Each year the Government releases statistics about crime, these include youth crime statistics.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'youth crime'
crimes committed by people above the age of criminal responsibility, but under the age of 18.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Most young people are involved in crime because the media shows so many negative stories about them. Correction: While the media often focuses on negative stories, the majority of young people are not involved in crime. Recent statistics show that many stop and searches and arrests don't lead to charges, and the number of young people in custody is low.
More Lessons In This Unit
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