Attorney General's Office

CPS lawyers teach young people their rights

A pioneering lesson package delivered to schools by lawyers is to be rolled out across England and Wales by the Crown Prosecution Service, backed by a new educational resource on its website.

During two interactive lessons, 11 to 16-year-old pupils learn about the criminal justice system and go on to prepare a sample case themselves for trial. The CPS aims to deliver the lessons in at least three schools in each of the 42 CPS Areas in England and Wales by March. It forms part of the mandatory national Citizenship Curriculum.

First developed in 2007 by staff at CPS Derbyshire for their local schools in conjunction with Derbyshire County Council, the CPS Schools Project has been strongly supported by the Attorney General, Baroness Scotland QC, who superintends the CPS.

Thanking CPS staff who volunteer to deliver the lessons, she said:

"Having seen the project at first hand last year, and the results it could deliver, I was very keen that we should look to expand its reach.

"It was stunning to listen to 13 year-olds discussing the evidential test and the public interest test. Those children understood the processes of the criminal justice system. They understood that it was their system, their law and their justice, and that they had a real contribution to make.

"The Schools Project will contribute to this increased visibility, and will raise the level of awareness about the role of the CPS within the teaching fraternity and amongst young people nationally."

Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, said:

"I am full of admiration for the way Andrea Charity, the Associate Prosecutor who developed the programme, and Alison Doyle-Stevenson, the project manager, have made this such a success. They worked very hard to develop these school lessons in conjunction with Derbyshire County Council to meet the needs of the national curriculum.

"This programme has been successfully delivered in a number of schools across Derbyshire and will be taken up across England and Wales. It has proven to be a great way of ensuring that young people better understand how our criminal justice system works and it's clear that the students have really enjoyed the role playing aspect and have learnt about the measures that are available to support victims and witnesses at court. I hope some of them may now be thinking of a career with the CPS as a result!"

The CPS Schools Project lessons are fully interactive, featuring film, audio and a graffiti wall. In the first session students learn about the Crown Prosecution Service and its role within the criminal justice system, what happens in court, and the special measures available in the courtroom to support them should they ever be a victim or witness of crime. Students take on the roles of witnesses, prosecuting and defence advocates, members of the jury and the judge.

During the second lesson the students are given a fictional case file and have to make a decision on whether or not to take the case to court based on the available evidence. Students read mock media reports about the incident, then review the file, listening to police interviews with defendants and examining the evidence, before making their decision.

A new interactive Crown Prosecution Service education web site 'Champions of Justice' is also launched today, bringing to life the citizenship requirements of the National Curriculum. It includes all the National Schools Project Resources as well as providing information about the CPS tailored for children and young people between the ages of 5 and 18. Web site visitors can try being a Prosecutor and find out what happens when someone is a witness in court. It can be found at www.cps.gov.uk/education

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For media enquiries please contact :
Media enquiries for the Attorney General's Office please contact Russell Hayes on 0207 271 2484 or email russell.hayes@attorney.general.gsi.gov.uk

Media enquiries for the CPS please contact Julie Seddon on 020 7796 8180 or email Julie.seddon@cps.gsi.gov.uk

An image of the new CPS web page is available on request as well as samples from the teaching pack.

Notes to editors:

• In 2007, CPS Derbyshire in conjunction with Derbyshire County Council Local Authority developed two interactive lessons to deliver to Key Stage 3 & 4 (11-16) year pupils. This forms part of the mandatory national Citizenship Curriculum, the purpose of which is to equip pupils with the knowledge and skills needed for effective and democratic participation. It helps pupils become informed, active citizens who have the confidence and conviction to work together to take action in their communities through:
• Teaching pupils about their rights, responsibilities, duties and freedoms and about laws, justice and democracy.
• Encouraging respect for different national, religious and ethnic identities.
• Enabling pupils to learn how society has changed and how it continues to change in the UK, Europe and the wider world.
• Helping young people to develop their decision-making and critical skills as they consider a wide range of political, social ethical and moral problems.
• Developing the ability to argue a case on behalf of others as well as themselves and speak out on issues of concern.

• The CPS Schools Project supports the aims of the Attorney General's Youth Network, which brings together partners from across sectors and disciplines to:
• Encourage understanding of and respect for the rule of law and the importance of obeying the law
  De-mystify Government and the legal profession
  Contribute to citizenship education, including understanding of the justice system and of an individual's rights and responsibilities.

• The Attorney General currently discharges three main roles:
• chief legal adviser to the Government;
  superintending Minister for the prosecuting authorities (which carries with it certain functions in relation to individual prosecutions and involvement in criminal justice policy);
  and the exercise of public interest functions (including functions in relation to unduly lenient sentences, contempt of court, civil proceedings giving rise to public interest considerations, and appointment of special advocates).