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SECTION I:
Values and Lawfulness
Overview
The first section of this curriculum explores the concept of Values and Lawfulness.
Throughout this section, teachers can challenge students to consider the unique qualities
that make us humans and those that make us individuals. The class will learn generally
aout human nature ! what it is, its influence on our ehavior and its implications for us.
The section will conclude with students identifying their own personality characteristics
and those they admire and dislike in others.
Lesson 1
SECTION III:
Crime and Corrupion
Overview
This section on "rime and "orruption focuses on the damaging effects of organi#ed
crime for the individuals involved, their families, friends, and society. Throughout these
lessons, the students will learn what organi#ed crime is, how it works and attracts new
memers, and why it poses such a threat to our culture of lawfulness. $n addition,
students will egin to consider the means y which organi#ed crime can e overcome. To
aid in presenting this information, the movie Goodfellas and the videotaped presentation
of %aro %a#arian can e shown and guest speakers invited.
Lesson 1!
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Lesson 1
Course Overview
"oal
To draw students into the course, the section will egin with an overview of the course.
The teacher will help students recogni#e that we have a crime prolem. 'hile some
students may not live in areas in which they feel directly affected y crime, they will e
made aware of the crime prolem that society experiences and how it affects their local
communities. (ased on this recognition, the students will e challenged to egin
considering, what can we do aout it)
Learnin# O$%e&ives
*t the completion of this lesson, students will e ale to
summari#e the course+s primary themes and o,ectives.
provide definitions of deviance and crime, and
recogni#e that there is a crime prolem.
Lesson Conen
This first lesson is important in setting the mood and level of expectation for the course.
-ne theme of the course is the relationship etween crime and students+ personal lives,
and teachers are encouraged to e sensitive to students+ concerns. .ou may want to
provide students with the option of privately speaking with you if there is a specific topic
of concern that arises during the course that they do not feel comfortale discussing
pulicly.
Overview of 'e Course
* ma,or prolem that plagues society is pulic security. *lthough some people may not
e confronted with crime and corruption directly, they feel the indirect effects on their
lives. /ome no longer feel safe in their homes, making sure that their doors and windows
are arred and locked, and many are afraid to go out at night. These prolems are not
issues that concern adults only. 0or example, at school dances, some students now must
guard their drinks to ensure that no one slips drugs in them. Therefore, all memers of
society must play a role in countering crime and corruption and in uilding a culture of
lawfulness. This course explains the prolems that threaten pulic security and the role
that individuals and society have in solving these prolems.
To accomplish these goals, the course egins with a discussion aout ethics and values
and how they are the foundation for society. $t then discusses how crime and organi#ed
crime are threats to those values and proposes ways to uild a society that is conducive to
the values of a culture of lawfulness. The 123lesson course is divided into the following
four sections4
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&. Values and Lawfulness explores the concept of values and lawfulness.
/tudents will e challenged to consider the unique qualities that make us
humans and those that make us individuals. The class will learn aout
human nature in general6what it is, its influence on our ehavior, and its
implications for us. The section will conclude with students identifying
their own personality characteristics and those they admire and dislike in
others.
5. "ulture and Lawfulness emphasi#es the rule of law6what it is, how to
recogni#e it and why it is so important that the rule of law e protected. $n
turn, students should reali#e how, in the face of unfair rules and laws, they
can strive for change. The focus throughout will e on how and why a
culture of lawfulness needs to e maintained.
7. "rime and "orruption focuses on the damaging effect of crime and
organi#ed crime. /tudents will learn what crime is, how it works, and why
it poses such a threat to our culture of lawfulness. $n addition, students
will egin to consider the means y which crime can e overcome.
1. 0ostering a "ulture of Lawfulness allows students to see their role in
promoting and supporting the rule of law. /tudents will e encouraged to
e outraged when organi#ed crime and its activities are tolerated and to
develop a responsiility to act. /tudents also will e encouraged to egin
thinking aout their own futures and the consequences of the decisions
they make. 8rolem solving is taught to help students overcome ostacles
to their goals.
-verall, the course is designed to develop students+ interpersonal skills and prolem3
solving capailities to internali#e and reinforce the lessons aout resisting lawlessness.
(y improving their knowledge of crime and strengthening support for the law, it is hoped
that students will help foster a culture of lawfulness.
Teachers Note:
Before presenting material on crime, teachers may wish to use the information on
deviance below to distinguish deviant behavior from criminal behavior. Teachers also
may choose different examples of deviant behavior than the ones suggested.
Devian&e
$t is important for students to e ale to distinguish deviant from criminal activities.
*lthough deviance often is associated with criminal activity, its definition is much
roader. 9ot all deviant activity is criminal.
'hat is the definition of deviant ehavior)
:;V$*9T4 *n act that departs from estalished norms. ;xamples of
deviance range from littering, eing loud and disruptive on the streets, and
premarital sex to roery, rape, and murder.
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/ociety has informal and formal responses to deviant acts. 0or some deviant ehavior,
society may feel that formal or criminal sanctions are not necessary. $n some societies, for
example, while dying one+s hair green is not a criminal act, it deviates from those
society+s accepted customs. *s a result, those societies may choose informal social
sanctions, such as shunning those people. .et in other cases, society may feel that deviant
ehavior, like murder, is so harmful to society that it requires a formal, government
response. Those deviant acts that require a formal response are crimes.
Do we 'ave a &rime pro$lem(
0or students to recogni#e the importance of this curriculum, they must e aware that a
crime prolem does exist and understand the crime prolems that society experiences. $n
addition, they should recogni#e why crime is a prolem. The students may e directly or
indirectly affected y the crime.
'hat is the definition of crime)
(efore the class can agree that there is a crime prolem, they must have a common
definition of crime on which to ase their decision. *lthough the concept of crime
will e explored in detail starting with Lesson &2, it will e riefly introduced at this
point.
EXERCISE: Defnition of Crime
*sk students to share their definition of crime. -n the lackoard,
write the key points of the different definitions that are offered. Then
write the complete definition on the oard4
"<$=;4 *n act punishale y law. * crime can e defined as the omission of a
duty >e.g., failing to pay taxes? or the commission of an act >e.g. per,ury?
foridden y a pulic law and punishale upon conviction y imprisonment, fine,
and@or removal from office. $n capital offenses, death may e the penalty. *
crime also may involve a violation of a pulic trust.
EXERCISE: Crime vs. Deviance
*sk the class the differences etween crime and deviance.
'hy is crime a prolem we should all e concerned aout)
"rime impacts everyone in a community, either directly or indirectly.
There is no such thing as a victimless crime. ;very time a crime is committed, there
is a victim. 0or example, in a case of roery, there may e a specific identifiale
victim ! the person who was roed. .et the effects of this same crime extend
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eyond that one person. -ther individuals within the community may ecome fearful
of walking y themselves at night ecause of the possiility that they will e roed.
/hoplifting is another example of the ripple effect of crime. $n a store where
shoplifting occurs, the store owner is deprived of merchandise. To make up for this
lost merchandise, the owner may need to increase prices in his store. Therefore, all
the individuals who shop at the store are paying for shoplifting through these
increased prices.
'ith recent technological developments, computer crimes also directly or indirectly
affect people. Viruses have ecome prevalent and have spread internationally,
damaging many computer systems. $n turn, these viruses have disrupted many
usinesses and commerce.
JOURNAL EXERCISE: Personal E!eriences
This will e the first ,ournal exercise for the students. *sk them to find a
crime descried in a newspaper or on television and answer the following
questions aout that crime4
'hat was the crime)
Aow did it make the victim feel)
Aow would you have felt if the crime happened to you)
:id it have any impact on other family memers or friends)
'hat was the impact on the community)
'as the offender ever caught) $f so, how was he or she punished)
/ome of the information that the students write may e private. <eassure
them that their ,ournals will not e shared with the rest of the class.
<ather, you simply will check in the next class to make sure that the
assignment was completed. Volunteers may e chosen at the start of the
next class to riefly share their findings.
Teachers Note:
The option of ournal writing will be offered in several lessons throughout the
curriculum. !ournal exercises provide students with the opportunity to record personal
experiences, feelings and ideas associated with the course material. "ou may choose to
review their wor#. $tudents should be given the assurance that any material they have
written in their ournal will remain private from the class unless they decide to share it.
'hat are the effects of crime on our country, our community, and our school)
*t this time, please try to provide examples from local media reports on the impact of
crime and present them to your class. /chool examples may e theft from students,
assaults or vandalism that occurred on the school grounds.
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OP"IONAL EXERCISE: On#oin# C$rrent Events
;ncourage students to collect and ring their own newspaper clippings or
other sources of information aout local occurrences of crime to this class
for the duration of the curriculum. .ou may want to set aside five minutes
at the start or end of class for students to present or tape examples to the
wall and discuss any examples that they have come across.
)'a &an we do a$ou 'e &rime pro$lem(
9ow that we recogni#e there is a crime prolem, what can we do aout it) -ther
countries from around the world have een faced with similar crime prolems as the
Cnited /tates. They have had some success in comating these prolems. Two such
examples from around the world are Aong Dong and western /icily.
Aong Dong
<ecently, governments and usinessmen have come to view corruption and organi#ed
crime as serious ostacles to democratic government and economic development. -ne of
the most effective strategies developed to reduce and prevent organi#ed crime and
corruption is found in Aong Dong. This strategy involves oth the enforcement of laws
and the development of an anti3corruption culture.
$n the early &EF2s, several well3pulici#ed criminal cases revealed that corruption was
prevalent in Aong Dong not only throughout the government ut also in the private
sector. "ontacts and riery were used extensively. 'hen an individual did not have the
necessary contacts, ries were used to accomplish his or her goal. * novel three3
pronged approach developed y Aong Dong authorities to attle this corruption
incorporated enforcement, prevention, and education. $t comined strict ut fair
enforcement, work with the community to identify areas of potential corruption, and well
designed and implemented education campaigns. 'ith this approach, Aong Dong was
ale to change attitudes and practices that had existed for hundreds of years within a
period of 52 years. Aong Dong now is considered to e one of the most corruption3free
cities in *sia.
8alermo and 'estern /icily
/tarting in the mid3&EG2s, many $talians attacked the =afia on two fronts4 law
enforcement and culture. $talian law enforcement used =afia turncoats >pentiti? willing
to inform on their former colleagues to target =afia osses. (eginning with the maxi3
trial in &EGH, they tried and convicted hundreds of =afia leaders, incapacitating ma,or
=afia families in 8alermo and other =afia strongholds in western /icily.
*t the same time, a ma,or change occurred among the /icilian people. 8olitical, cultural,
media, religious, educational, laor, and usiness leaders gradually egan to take a stand
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against the =afia. 0or example, for more than a hundred years, until &EG5, the "atholic
hierarchy in /icily and the Vatican did not even pulicly admit to the existence of the
/icilian =afia. $t was not until &EGB that the pope spoke out against the evil institution
on the island. This change in high3level attitudes reflected a struggle that had een taking
place inside the church for a long time. * minority of priests were ale to persuade some
6ut not all6of the hierarchy that however close the church had een to =afia leaders,
their usinesses, and law enforcement and political collaorators, the time had come to
reak the church+s silence. $t took great personal and political courage for these priests
and, later, individual cardinals to attack an institution that the church had, to some extent,
een allied with for decades. 'hen this respected authority acted, it provided a great
oost to the anti3=afia movement in /icily.
$n the ensuing years, others in /icily egan to shine the light of pulicity on the =afia
and its political and law enforcement collaorators. This was a ma,or advance in the
struggle against the =afia and rought aout a ma,or change in the culture of lawlessness
that had gripped /icily for decades. *s a result, a kind of revolt against the =afia erupted
among the people of /icily in response to the excesses of =afia killings in the late &EG2s
and early &EE2s. (ed sheets painted with anti3=afia slogans were hung from windows.
Vigils, demonstrations, and placards appeared. Aousewives and shopkeepers ,oined
youth groups and religious congregations in the streets. The mayor and city council in
8alermo egan to restore the historic city center, which had ecome a slum3ridden center
of =afia activity.
The schools, teachers, and students also played an important role in this /icilian
renaissance. "hildren of all ages participated in anti3=afia classroom activities and
demonstrations. To take ack their city, students adopted architectural and cultural
monuments that had fallen into disrepair. The students learned aout the history of these
monuments in their classroom and they helped to restore them. 9ow every year, they
provide guided tours for the people of /icily and for those visiting the island. 8riests also
called on their parishioners to not succum to the temptation of sin and =afia activities,
,ournalists exposed tainted dealings, and community leaders demanded transparency and
performance from government. $n short, many people in the community switched from
eing neutral or even sympathetic to the =afia to eing anti3=afia and supportive of law
enforcement and a culture of lawfulness. 8alermo and other parts of /icily now are
among the safest cities in $taly.
Teachers Note:
%t this point, class members may be wondering &'" they should be concerned about
crime that does not directly impact them or why they should be expected to do something
about this crime. (sing the stories of )alermo and 'ong *ong, show that people have
the capability to reverse lawless behavior, even well+entrenched and corrupt criminal
behavior. ,xplain that each of us is part of the global community. %s members of this
society, collectively we must act responsibly. -ur actions have the potential to impact a
large number of people, both positively and negatively. This concept of individual
responsibility will be explored in much greater detail later in the curriculum.
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EXERCISE: Revie% &$estions
Aand out copies of the review sheet for this first section of the curriculum.
-ne copy of the review sheet can e found following this lesson plan.
;xplain to the class that they are responsile for answering the relevant
questions on a separate piece of paper after each class. Therefore, this
handout must e rought to each class. *ll of the answers must e
rought to the review and discussion classes at the end of the section.
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Se&ion I: Values and Lawfulness
REVIE) *+ESTIONS
Lesson 1
&. 'hat is deviance)
5. 'hat is the definition of crime)
7. Aow are you and your community affected y crime)
1. 'hat role did the citi#ens and students of 8alermo play in the downfall of the
=afia in their city)
Lesson ,
B. List reasons that modern humans congregate.
H. %ive examples of positive and negative consequences of association.
F. 'hat are constraining forces)
G. %ive two examples of constraining forces and explain how they can affect the
decisions you make.
Lesson -
E. 'hat is human nature)
&2. ;xplain free will and the three ailities that it implies.
&&. /ummari#e Aoes+ views on man
&5. /ummari#e <ousseau+s views on man.
Lessons . / !
&7. 'hat is self3esteem)
&1. 'hy is self3esteem so important)
&B. 'hat are inherent traits)
&H. 'hat are external traits)
&F. List good character traits@ehaviors.
&G. List ad character traits@ehaviors.
&E. 'hat are values)
52. List one person you admire and explain why.
5&. -n what should a person e ,udged)
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Lesson 1!
0oivaion for 1oinin# Or#ani2ed Crime
%oal
/tudents will e ale to discuss the motivations individuals have for entering and staying
in organi#ed crime >e.g., a sense of elonging, power, money, prestige, etc.?. They also
will understand the various means individuals employ to achieve their goals.
Learnin# O$%e&ives
*t the completion of this lesson, the students will e ale to
list the motivations for individuals ,oining and staying in criminal
organi#ations, and
understand the various means individuals employ to achieve their goals.
Lesson Conen
There are a variety of motivations for individuals entering and staying in organi#ed
crime.
EXERCISE: 'otivations
Aave the students create a list of possile motivations for ,oining and
staying in organi#ed crime. *sk volunteers to provide examples so you
can create a list on the lackoard.
8ossile answers include money, fear of the gang, protection, respect,
special access to women and cars, and imitation of others.
The motivation for an individual to participate in organi#ed crime changes once the
individual has ,oined. 0or example, individuals may enter organi#ed crime ecause of
their fear of the gang. They may stay ecause of the respect that memership provides.
Teachers Note:
There are several potential motivations for oining organi.ed crime. /epending on class
time, teachers may choose some of the reasons listed below for discussion. The goal is
for students to understand that there are a variety of motivations besides the desire for
money.
Various 0eans o A&'ieve "oals
(ecome richI (ecome powerfulI ;veryody can do it and everyone should try.
This concept, in some form or another, is taught to all of us. $t is taught y our families,
our schools, and the media. .et difficulty and conflict may arise from the notion that
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anyody can do it, which gives no consideration to the challenges >i.e., constraining
forces discussed in section $? that individuals must face. The reality is that not everyody
has an equal chance to achieve these goals of success. /ome individuals will have to
overcome more impediments than other individuals to do so.
-ne of the many theories to explain crime relates to the frustration that arises when the
promises of achievale success do not correspond with the real life opportunities to
reali#e these promises. =ost of us are conformists. That is we accept the same goals and
elieve we are provided with the same opportunities to achieve those goals. .et others
reak the law or go against norms to achieve a goal that they do not elieve they could
achieve y any other means. *ccording to this theory, pressures toward deviation arise
along four paths.
&. $nnovation
$nnovation is the path of a person who accepts conventional goals >success,
money, etc.? ut re,ects the legitimate paths toward success >hard work, patience,
etc.?. ;xperience with working in legitimate channels as a means to achieve his
or her goals simply proved unsuccessful for this individual. Therefore, promising
illegitimate means are explored and deviance may occur.
5. <itualism
The ritualism path is for the person who does not accept conventional goals >has
little desire to get to the top, to achieve success, etc.? ut plays y the rules
anyway.
0or example, a tenured college professor who does not care aout getting further
ahead will put in the appropriate time. .et he or she cares only aout getting
through the day without making waves and then going home.
*nother example of ritualism involves what is referred to as negligent saotage
of the assemly line y careless or uncommitted workers. There are many
accounts of workers who put in their time ut care little aout the products of the
companies for which they work. These workers must depend on a wage for
survival ut are not committed to the organi#ation.
7. <etreatism
<etreatism is the path of the person who has not accepted conventional goals or
means. These individuals neither accept success values or conform to the
acceptale way of doing things in a society.
This group includes psychotics, vagrants, and drug addicts. They are included as
memers of the society, ut only in a fictional senseJ people in the society, ut not
of it.
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1. <eellionism
$ndividuals on the path of reellionism actively seek to replace old goals and
normative activities with new ones.
This group of individuals includes terrorists or revolutionaries. These reels may
use illegitimate means >e.g., saotage, assassination, or kidnapping? in an attempt
to replace the dominant goals and means with something etter.
ACCE3TS "OALS
ACCE3TS LE"ITI0ATE
0EANS TO AC4IEVE
"OALS
Conformi5
4 4
Innovaion
4 6
Riualism
6 4
Rereaism
6 6
Re$ellionism
6
see6s o repla&e wi'
new #oals
6
There are of course many reasons why people ecome involved in organi#ed crime.
These include protection from enemies and a desire to elong. -ther reasons might e
exposure to crime at an early age or growing up in an environment where participation in
organi#ed crime was acceptale and taught to others.
%rowing up and living in a suculture that promotes organi#ed crime creates a somewhat
different set of expectations for individuals. 0or example, some criminal groups have
values in opposition to mainstream society. $nstead of conventional values such as
honesty, hard work, and integrity, organi#ed crime memers focus on things like
toughness, getting into troule, eing street smart, and eing in control >autonomy?.
Toughness
"riminals often gain status and protection from others y displaying physical prowess or
a penchant for violence. (eing tough also results in a sense of cohesion among the
memers of gangs.
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Trou$le
<elated to toughness is the propensity to get into troule. 0or individuals in many groups,
eing in troule a lot not only is status enhancing and a demonstration of toughness
>ecause it shows they are not afraid of the police or going to prison?, ut also protects
them from potential rivals.
Smarness
Aere, organi#ed crime memers gain status and rise within the organi#ational hierarchy
due to their resourcefulness in criminal activities. Those individuals who are creative in
carrying out their duties or making money for the organi#ation will ecome valued
memers of the organi#ation. *s a result, they gain status and enhance their sense of
elonging to that group.
Auonom5
There is a tendency for some organi#ed crime memers to elieve that they are always in
control. Aenry in Goodfellas points this out in the movie4 he says they simply did
whatever they wanted and no one said or did anything to stop them. This sense of
autonomy typically extends to antipathy toward working a nine to five ,o. Thus, one of
the focal concerns of organi#ed criminals is to e free of any type of societal constraint.
There may e many other explanations for why people ecome involved in organi#ed
crime.
JOURNAL EXERCISE: "(e Pat( I )ill "a*e
'e have ,ust finished exploring theoretical approaches that explain
why individuals decide to aandon society to ecome memers of
criminal organi#ations. This exercise will challenge your students to
consider how they respond to various situations and to the strain that is
exerted y society. This writing exercise can e prompted with the
following questions4
:o you find yourself following one of these four paths or do
you consider yourself a conformist)
;xplain why you made that choice and whether you consider it
the right choice.
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