Introduction

Youth often think of the law as something that is imposed on them rather than as something that allows society to function and that makes their lives more secure. Law-related education teaches children that they have both rights and responsibilities under the law and that a democracy depends on its citizens to actively exercise those rights and responsibilities. Young people who understand the law, the legal system, and their role in obeying existing laws and influencing the passage of new laws have a vested interest in practicing good citizenship. Valuing their roles as citizens and feeling connected to democracy help youth understand why they should obey the law. OJJDP promotes this connection through Youth for Justice.

The program consists of a network of national and State nonprofit organizations that support LRE. These organizations, commonly referred to as “projects,” provide resources for classroom teachers, youth workers, and community resource people to use in educating children about the law and citizenship. The resources vary from one project to another, but they commonly include the following:

• Training teachers and lawyers to engage children in learning about various law-related topics.

• Organizing student events such as mock trials, moot courts, peer mediations, youth summits, and youth courts.

• Providing lending libraries of LRE materials.

• Publishing LRE lessons or textbooks.

• Organizing lawyers’ visits to classrooms.

Youth for Justice projects promote their resources to education and legal professionals and assist them in creating or joining local LRE programs.

The projects support LRE in elementary, middle, and high schools and in other community and juvenile justice settings. Teachers collaborate with lawyers, law students, judges, police officers, government officials, and other members of the community to lead discussions and activities both in and outside of the school classroom. Students gain critical thinking skills as they debate issues, discuss public policy, and participate in mock trials, youth courts, service learning, and peer mediation programs.

Law-Related Education Third grade students listen with rapt attention as a police officer explains the importance of laws by telling the story of “Lawlessville, U.S.A.”; seventh graders act as peer mediators to settle a dispute over damaged textbooks; high school students discuss the pros and cons of an antigang loitering law with a visiting lawyer. These are examples of law-related education, which Congress has defined as “education to equip non-lawyers with knowledge and skills pertaining to the law, the legal process, and the legal system, and the fundamental principles and values on which they are based.”1 1 20 U.S.C. § 2965 (1988).

The practice of LRE is not limited to Youth for Justice. The national and State organizations that receive funding from Youth for Justice also carry out a wide spectrum of additional LRE programs. One of Youth for Justice’s key objectives is to provide grant support for key LRE programs that enhance youth involvement in violence prevention. This Bulletin describes both the programs that are funded under Youth for Justice and some other LRE programs and publications that serve as resources to enhance the funded programs.

Youth for Justice	Juvenile Justice Bulletin • April 2001