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Justice: Punish or Repair?

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Lesson Plan

Shifting the Lens on Justice

Students will be able to compare and contrast a punitive and a restorative response to a specific behavior.

Understanding both punitive and restorative approaches helps students critically analyze how society responds to wrongdoing, fostering empathy and promoting more effective, healing solutions for conflicts.

Audience

8th Grade Students

Time

15 minutes

Approach

Students will engage in a warm-up, guided comparison, scenario analysis, and a closing discussion.

Materials

Justice Lenses Slide Deck, and Comparison Chart Worksheet

Prep

Review Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Opening Circle Prompt

3 minutes

  • Begin with a brief opening circle. Ask students: 'What does 'justice' mean to you?' Allow 1-2 students to share their initial thoughts.
    - Transition by saying: 'Today, we're going to explore two different ways we can think about justice when something goes wrong.'

Step 2

Compare Punitive vs. Restorative Mindsets

5 minutes

  • Display the Justice Lenses Slide Deck (Slide 1-3).
    - Introduce the terms 'Punitive Justice' and 'Restorative Justice'. Use the slides to guide a brief discussion on their core definitions, focusing on key concepts like 'punishment,' 'blame,' 'repair,' and 'accountability.'
    - Distribute the Comparison Chart Worksheet and instruct students to fill in the initial definitions as you discuss.

Step 3

Analyze Scenarios Through Both Lenses

5 minutes

  • Present a simple scenario from the Justice Lenses Slide Deck (Slide 4). For example: 'Someone accidentally breaks a classroom window during recess.'
    - Lead a brief class discussion, asking students to consider:
    - 'How would a punitive approach respond to this?' (Focus on rules, blame, punishment for the individual)
    - 'How would a restorative approach respond?' (Focus on who was harmed, what needs to be repaired, how to prevent it again, collective responsibility)
    - Guide students to add these responses to their Comparison Chart Worksheet for the given scenario.

Step 4

Closing Circle Discussion

2 minutes

  • Conclude with a quick closing circle question: 'Based on what we discussed, which approach do you think leads to better outcomes, and why?'
    - Encourage 1-2 students to share their reflections.
    - Briefly reiterate that both approaches have their place, but understanding restorative justice can help build stronger communities.
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