Year 8 - Citizenship
How is the criminal justice system applied to young people?
What is the law and how is it changed?
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils explore what the law is and how criminal and civil laws are made. They examine what role citizens can have in changing the law and consider how the justice system should apply to young people.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain the rights young people have when arrested, the role of youth courts and how sentencing works in youth courts.
Key Notes
- Young people have additional rights when arrested, like having an appropriate adult present during questioning.
- Youth courts handle cases for 10-17-year-olds; focusing on protection & rehabilitation. They have different procedures.
- When sentencing, youth courts focus on preventing reoffending and prioritising the young person's wellbeing.
Vocabulary To Learn
- rights: something we are entitled to by law
- court: a formal legal institution where disputes are heard and resolved, and where justice is administered according to the law
- magistrate: ordinary people who hear less serious cases, or preliminary hearings from more serious cases in local courts; they work in criminal, family and youth courts to ensure justice is served
- sentence: the punishment that a judge or magistrate decides someone should be given after they have been convicted of a crime
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- If a young person is accused of a crime, they are treated the same as an adult in court.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Young people have additional rights when arrested, like having an appropriate adult present during questioning. Youth courts handle cases for 10-17-year-olds; focusing on protection & rehabilitation. They have different procedures.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'rights'
something we are entitled to by law.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: If a young person is accused of a crime, they are treated the same as an adult in court. Correction: Young people have some special protections in the legal system, e.g., in youth courts, the focus is on rehabilitation and making sure young people are given the support they need to avoid reoffending. They also have extra rights when arrested.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 8 Citizenship guide library.