Lesson 2: Cultural Perspectives on Justice and Reform
Duration of Days: 1
Lesson Objective
Students will compare punitive justice models with restorative justice models practiced across various cultures.
What is the purpose of a justice system—punishment, deterrence, or rehabilitation? How does culture dictate law?
MBL Standard 3A; CT Civics/Gov (Dimension 4 - INQ 9–12.11).
1. Warm-up: Quick-write defining "justice."
2. Direct Instruction: Introduce punitive, rehabilitative (e.g., Scandinavian models), and restorative justice traditions.
3. Activity: Review a case study and determine how different models would sentence or heal the situation.
Purpose & DOK Level: Cultural framework exploration; DOK Level 3.
Structured Venn diagram comparison; heterogeneous group sorting for case work.
Contrast chart evaluating two divergent cultural approaches to justice.