Law School for Teens - What Can the Police Do During Searches? Ongoing
What's included
1 live meeting
50 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
US Grade 8 - 11
When do the police need to have a search warrant? How do the police get a search warrant? What happens if the police don’t follow the right procedures when they get a search warrant? This topic, called Criminal Procedure in law school, is about the set of rules that police must follow when the government enforces the law. At the federal level, criminal procedure rules will protect the guarantees within the Constitution's Bill of Rights, such as the right to due process and equal protection, the right to legal counsel, the right to confront a witness, the right to a jury trial, and the right not to testify against oneself. This class will do a high school level walk through of the 4th amendment and the 5th amendment (as it connects to criminal procedure), and mention the 6th amendment. The main teaching methods will be discussion in small break out rooms between students, discussion in the main classroom with the teacher, and questioning for clarification from the teacher. In addition to the discussion format, this class will start to explore various cases from the Supreme Court that further clarify the amendments and how they are applied to our everyday lives. We will look at famous cases like Katz v. United States, Mapp v. Ohio, Terry v. Ohio, and Miranda v. Arizona among several others. Below is a general overview of how the class will go, but this schedule may be adapted as needed (classes will recycle and repeat once we reach the end of the list): Week of August 20 - August 26: What is the 4th Amendment? A History - We will look at the history and journey of the colonists to create the 4th Amendment from the English idea of the General Warrant, and why the Founders thought it was so important to protect the citizens from government overreach. Week of August 27 - September 2: What is a Search? - Before we can identify if a search is reasonable or unreasonable, we need to determine what a search is – we will discuss what a search is in this class. Week of September 3 - September 9: Searches with a Warrant? - What can be searched with a warrant and how is a warrant executed by the police. Week of September 10 - September 16: Searches without a Warrant: Search Incident to Lawful Arrest - Sometimes, there are situations when the police do not need a warrant to execute a search, but there are always limitations associated with that exception. In this lesson, we learn how the police can search a person after a lawful arrest. Week of September 17 - September 23: Searches without a Warrant: Stop and Frisk - What are the criteria for the police to stop and frisk a person on the street? Week of September 24 - September 30: Searches without a Warrant: Consent Searches - If a person gives the police consent, then the police can legally search a person or an area. But under what circumstances can the police get that consent? Week of October 1 - October 7: Searches without a Warrant: Consent by a Third Party - While a person can give consent for a search, when can a third party give consent for that person so that the police may execute a legal search? Week of October 8 - October 14: Searches without a Warrant: Plain View - When can the police seize an illicit substance that is in plain sight without a warrant? Week of October 15 - October 21: Searches without a Warrant: Vehicle Searches, Airport, and Border Searches - Why do vehicles get less legal protection than a house? And why can the government force everyone to go through a search in an airport and at the borders? Week of October 22 - October 28: Seizures – Arrests and Property - When can the police arrest a person, and what can they do with the property they seize? Week of October 29 - November 4: Seizures – Stop and Question and Miranda Warnings - When can the police stop and question a citizen (which is different than a stop and frisk), and when do the Miranda Warnings need to be given during an interrogation? Week of November 5 - November 11: Confessions - Voluntariness - What can the police do to get a voluntary confession? Week of November 12 - November 18: Confessions - More Voluntariness - What can the police do to get a voluntary confession? Week of November 19 - November 25: 5th Amendment: "I plead the 5th!" - When can someone plead the 5th to not incriminate themselves? Week of November 26 - December 2: 6th Amendment - Right to Counsel - Do you need a lawyer in every situation when dealing with the court? Week of December 3 - December 9: Mapp v. Ohio (1966) - A look at a Supreme Court Case and how it effects the law
Learning Goals
- We will learn about the procedures police must follow to search for evidence and to arrest people suspected of committing crimes.
- We will learn about the exclusionary rule, and why this rule is so important to the criminal justice system.
- What you will notice as you progress through these classes is an increased ability to think through problems.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
With all of my Criminal Law or Criminal Procedure classes, I strongly encourage parents to look over the Discussion Outlines to make sure the content is suitable for their learner. We discuss crimes of all sort, ranging from murder to property crimes, so please be aware of that. Please message me if you have any issues.
Supply List
Either print out the Discussion Outline or have it available to type on for the class.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Teacher expertise and credentials
Michigan Teaching Certificate in Social Studies/History
4 Degrees
Doctoral Degree from Western Michigan Thomas Cooley Law School
Master's Degree in Education from Aquinas College
Bachelor's Degree in History from Alma College
Associate's Degree in Foreign Language from Defense Language Institute
I am a high school teacher as well as a lawyer who has ten plus years experience teaching this topic to teenagers.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$20
weekly1x per week
50 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-17
3-10 learners per class