Surviving Justice Worksheet

Day 4 Plans

*Activity*	*minutes*
Warm-up Write one paragraph: Do you think it’s possible that you could be arrested for a crime you didn’t commit? Why/why not?	5
Discussion Ask students to share warm-up answers. Make sure to refer back to the exonerees’ stories for counter-examples.	5
Know Your Rights: making it personal Stand up/sit down activity (see attached). Use the statements on this sheet adapted from Bay Area Police Watch, an advocacy organization. It’s important to take time to discuss the results – were you surprised by who stood and sat? Why? How did it feel to stand/sit? What does this exercise tell you?	15
Know Your Rights: role plays and information 1) Scenarios: look at the scenarios suggested by another Bay Area advocacy group, Midnight Special. You’ll find youth rights information and trainers’ guides at: http://www.midnightspecial.net/. The scenarios are under the Materials and Resources section, Trainer’s Materials, Know Your Rights. Select the most appropriate scenarios (you may want to amend them for your student population) and hand out role play cards to students. Do the scenarios then pause for reflection and discussion– how did the student actor respond? What should he/she have student have done? 2) Hand out Know Your Rights “cards,” also from Bay Area Police Watch (attached). They can be copied, trimmed and folded so that students can carry them in their wallets. Put card information on an overhead and review “magic words.” 3) Re-play the scenarios now that students have the “magic words.” Encourage lots of dialogue and multiple role players. *A note on Know Your Rights workshops*. Students are totally engaged and attentive during these workshops. If you’re not teaching in California, check with a similar advocacy organization in your state to make sure you’re giving correct information to your students. Some organizations will visit your school and do the workshops for you.	30+
Closure Revisit Day 1 scenario – what could “you” have done differently in this scenario, knowing what you know now? Final revisit of pro/con T-chart.

Name:

Date:

Surviving Justice Questionnaire, Day 4

Instructions: Respond to the following questions in a few sentences.

What do you think the purpose of jail is?

Do you believe that in America, those accused of a crime are innocent until proven guilty?

Do you believe that if someone is arrested and charged with a crime, they probably did something wrong?

Do you approve of the death penalty?

Have your answers to these questions changed in the last two days? If so, how? If not, why do you think that is?

Stand up/Sit down Instructions

adapted from Bay Area Police Watch

Explain the activity: The facilitator will read out a statement and if the statement is true for you, then you stand up. If the statement is not true for you, stay seated.

Statements:

Stand up if you have been harassed or stopped by the cops.

Stand up if you have been harassed followed around a store.

Stand up if you feel like the laws in this country are set up to protect you.

Stand up if you or someone you know has been falsely accused of a crime.

Stand up if you feel the police will protect you if you need to call on them.

Stand up if you feel the police only use force when necessary.

Stand up if you or someone you know has been a victim of police misconduct.

Stand up if you have ever felt intimidated by the police.

Stand up if you feel the police have the right to stop and search you with no warrant.

Stand up if you feel community members should work in conjunction with the police when it comes to policing their community.

After the statements have been read out, break up the group into pairs to process out any thought or feelings the exercise brought up. They can either choose to share a story that related to one of the statements or else share general reflections.

Invite anyone to share with the entire group.