Summer Crime Project: Our year 12 into year 13 transition summer work is one of my favourite projects! Students had to find an example from the media (past or present) of someone who has committed a crime and been found guilty of it. They then had to create a fact file about their background, the crime they committed, the consequences, and what sentence they were given. Students were asked to provide an accompanying artefact and also provide psychological reasons for committing the crime. Biological, social and individual, each explanation needed to be supported with at least one piece of research not from the textbook.
Finally students were asked to write a conclusion stating which explanation they believed to be the most valid and why. They could make a suggestion about which, if any, of the methods of modifying behaviour the perpetrator could/should be given to prevent re offending.