;
Background and Context
These criminal justice resources will help students develop a thorough understanding and make connections between historical events, current conversations, and current policy proposals surrounding the issue. This section includes all of the context and content previously included in Close Up’s public policy chapters.
Available for Middle & High School
Current Issue Debates
Current Issue Debates in criminal justice are framed by a central question and followed by historical context, an overview of both sides of the topic, and discussion questions to facilitate deliberation in the classroom.
Available for Middle & High School
Available for Middle & High School
Available for Middle & High School
Available for Middle & High School
Available for Middle & High School
Videos from Policy Makers
Brought to you by ASP HOMEROOM, through a collaboration between Close Up Foundation and A Starting Point, these supplemental videos are an introduction to policy areas that provide an opportunity for students to hear different perspectives directly from lawmakers.
Congressmen Burgess Owens (R-UT) & Bobby Scott (D-VA) February 24, 2021
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) & former Governor Deval Patrick (D-MA) February 26, 2021
Representatives Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) & Pete Stauber (R-MN) February 15, 2021
These ready-to-use criminal justice lesson plans can be utilized in conjunction with any of our resources to enhance the quality of student discourse in the classroom. Our supplemental Civic Readiness Guide provides a recommended lesson plan sequence for using our Current Issues resources.
Post | February 1, 2023
The handling of sensitive information has become a headline-grabbing issue in recent months owed to the discovery of classified documents at the homes and offices of former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden, and former Vice President Mike Pence. The political consequences of any judgment of wrongdoing on behalf of former President Trump, President Biden, […]
Post | May 26, 2022
On Saturday, May 14, a gunman killed 10 people and wounded three others in a supermarket serving a predominantly Black population in eastern Buffalo, New York. The shooter, an 18-year-old white man, traveled over 200 miles to the Tops Supermarket.1 He was the apparent author of an online screed that claims the attack was meant […]
Post | April 18, 2022
Early last week, President Joe Biden and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced a final ruling to limit the manufacture and sale of so-called “ghost guns”—privately manufactured firearms without serial numbers.1 This final ruling is part of a series of measures announced by President Biden and the Department of Justice, dating back to last year, […]
Videos | March 3, 2022
During this #CloseUpConversations webinar we focus on current issues such as bail reform, sentencing reform, and decriminalization of drugs with guest speaker Margaret diZerega.
Post | October 27, 2021
The case of Brackeen v. Haaland is currently facing the U.S. Supreme Court. The case calls into question the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978. The two major questions in the case are: (1) Is the ICWA unconstitutional on the basis of racial discrimination because of its favoring of Native families […]
Historical Perspective (ELA Unit) | August 20, 2021
Words of Ages Teacher’s Guide are designed to supplement your standard classroom history text while offering new, creative perspectives on the nation’s heritage.
Historical Perspective (ELA Unit) | August 20, 2021
Words of Ages Teacher’s Guide are designed to supplement your standard classroom history text while offering new, creative perspectives on the nation’s heritage.
Historical Perspective (ELA Unit) | August 20, 2021
Words of Ages Teacher’s Guide are designed to supplement your standard classroom history text while offering new, creative perspectives on the nation’s heritage.