●        Use Social Studies inquiry processes and skills to ask questions; gather, interpret, and analyze legal concepts, issues, and procedures;
and communicate findings and decisions.
Sample activities:

o    Complete biographical research on a historical or contemporary criminal, determine causes of their criminality, and provided crime deterrent strategies.

●        Collect data, make and test hypotheses, and modify hypotheses as needed.
Sample activities:

o    Take individual fingerprints, identify patterns, and develop hypotheses about fingerprint patterns. Test these hypotheses by collecting more data from other students in the class.

●        Assess and compare the effectiveness of different crime deterrent strategies.
Sample activities:

o    Consider different crime deterrent strategies for everyday crimes such as theft from a motor vehicle. Debate the effectiveness of different deterrent strategies.

●        Analyze continuities and changes of criminalized behaviour over time and space (continuity and change)

o    Analyze Canada’s crime rate from 1960 to present day. What accounts for both the dramatic increase in crime from 1960 to the early 1990s, and the dramatic decrease from this point forward.

●        Make reasoned ethical judgments about the portrayal of crime in the media and throughout society.
Sample activities:

o    Using a docu-drama (ie. Forensic Files) or a crime-drama (ie. C.S.I.) students evaluate the portrayal of crimes, criminals, victims, and law enforcement.

●        Analyze crime related data and assess the reliability of sources (evidence)
Sample activities:

o    Analyze crime related statistics by asking questions such as: What accounts for this statistic? How can this statistic be interpreted in multiple ways? What other information do you need in order to fully understand the significance of this statistics?

●        Compare and contrast continuities and changes for different groups and individuals at different times and places (continuity and change)
Sample activities:

o    Assess the experiences of varying demographics of people with crime, victimization, and the criminal justice system.

●        Recognize how deductive reasoning is used in crime scene investigation.
Sample activities:

o    Compare and contrast deductive vs inductive reasoning, followed by a Lab on Deductive Reasoning where students will solve a murder through the use of Deductive Reasoning by 1) recording important information in Data Table #1, 2) reading special notes that police gathered during their investigation and completing Data Table #2, and finally, deducing the information to answer the post-lab questions to ultimately answer who did not commit the offence and who did.

●        Determine and assess the long- and short-term causes and consequences, and the intended and unintended consequences, of an event, legislative and judicial decision, development, policy, or movement (cause and consequence)
Sample activities:

o    Students will learn to understand the difference between cause and consequence. They will learn to identify causes and consequences in various situations and appreciate the value of considering these concepts in a variety of circumstances. Activity sheets will be used to sort events, leading to a web of effects, and finally assessing their own understanding of cause and consequence. Case studies will then be applied eg. Legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide, Legalization of marijuana, etc.

●        Crime Fallacies are beliefs about crime that contain incorrect or misleading information that is widely accepted as true. Common crime fallacies include: random crime fallacy, cops and courts fallacy, not-me fallacy, organized crime fallacy, ingenuity fallacy, agenda fallacy, innocent youth fallacy, and the dramatic fallacy.

●        Crime Statistics can be collected in a number of ways including a general social survey and through a Uniform Crime Reporting System. Statistics are used by government agencies to make decisions related to crime. Additionally, they are often presented by the media with little context or interpretation.

●        Victimization is the process of being victimized or becoming a victim. The field that studies the process, rates, incidences, effects, and prevalence of victimization is called victimology.

●        Criminalization of unwanted acts must meet specific requirements. Over time, as community values change some laws become outdated and need to be revised or removed. Additionally, unexpected events and advancements in science, technology, etc., can require new legislation.

●        Theories of Crime Causation are a series of competing theories that endeavor to explain criminal behaviour and provide corresponding crime deterrent strategies. There are three predominant theories of crime causation:

○      Rational Choice Theory

○        Biological Trait Theory: biochemical conditions, diet and vitamin deficiencies, hormonal influences, environmental contaminants, neuropsychological conditions, arousal theory, personality disorders, genetic predisposition, evolutionary influences.

○        Social Control Theory: social disorganization, strain theories, subculture theory, social learning theory, containment theory, social bond theory.

●        Crime Scene Investigation includes a comprehensive exploration of forensic science, which included the following units:

○      history of forensic science, forensic anthropology, weapons of the criminal (poison, knives and blunt instruments, ligatures, firearms, explosives, etc), frauds and forgeries, fingerprints, trace elements, blood spatter, and DNA.

●      Charter of Rights and Freedoms

○      The development of Canada’s Constitution and Bill of Rights will be examined as an introduction to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Various sections will be used to study real life examples/case studies, both criminal and civil. Many issues arise: Gun Control, Euthanasia, Hate Speech etc..

●      History of Corrections

○      Sentencing Principles such as Deterrence, Restitution, Retribution, and Rehabilitation will be used within Case studies to show the progression of Canada’s Corrections system from the early 1700’s to current day.