Lectures and lesson plans
Lectures for higher education
Two lectures are available for use by higher education institutions including universities and colleges. The recordings are delivered by Council judicial member Summary Sheriff Amel Elfallah and take the form of a power point presentation. The first lecture (17 minutes) provides an introduction to the Council and its work, while the second (23 minutes) covers the sentencing guidelines in operation in Scotland, and those being developed.
They are available to use as a stand-alone resource, or as part of a more general lecture. Please get in touch at sentencingcouncil@scotcourts.gov.uk if you would like a lecture delivered in person. We would welcome any suggestions for future lecture topics or improvements to the current presentations.
Scottish Sentencing Council introductory lecture
Scottish Sentencing Council lecture – guidelines
Modern Studies teaching resources
As part of the Scottish Sentencing Council’s work to promote awareness and understanding of sentencing, a series of educational resources for Modern Studies teachers has been developed.
PowerPoint presentation
The PowerPoint presentation covers examples of what sentences are available in Scotland, the different court types, and how sentences are decided by judges. It is intended as an introduction to sentencing in Scotland and takes about 20 minutes to deliver depending on the level of interaction. It also includes a link to a 9-question Kahoot quiz based on some of the material discussed.
'If you were the judge' case studies
Learn more about how judges decide criminal court sentences in Scotland. Use our interactive scenarios to follow the court cases of Gillian and Paul. As you go through the cases, you decide what happens next, and then you choose what sentence you would give - if you were the Sheriff. Print versions available.
Teachers guides
Please see the Teacher Guides below for how the resources further down can be used in a classroom environment.
Lesson plan - Community and prison sentencing
The Council has developed lesson plans with author and teacher Pamela Farr focusing on community and prison sentencing. There are two versions of the lesson plans for secondary school students for those in S1-S3 and pupils in S4-S6.
They are intended to help students learn more about the criminal justice system and sentencing process. Please use our Teachers Guide to learn more about the resources and how to use them.
S1 -S3 lesson resources
S4-S6 lesson resources
Lesson plans - Modern Studies
The Council commissioned author and teacher Pamela Farr to develop the lesson plans for Modern Studies classes at all levels of secondary school.
They are intended to be as engaging and user-friendly as possible. The material can be used for the Crime and Law Broad General Education unit. There are lesson plans for S1-S3, National 4, National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher course work.
Teacher guides are available to clearly explain the resources which include videos, quizzes, interactive case studies, classroom activities and assignments.
Modern Studies teachers may also be interested in a series of short animated videos which explain the key themes of the Council’s sentencing young people guideline.
These teaching resources can be used within an existing Crime and Law Broad General Education (BGE).
For further information on different aspects of sentencing, see our About sentencing website page.
We would welcome any feedback you may have on the lesson plans. Please get in touch with us if you have any comments or suggestions.
Please see the S1-S3 teacher guide for how the items below can be used in a classroom environment.
Watch, Listen and Note Jigsaw
Sentencing Placemat (right click and select save as... to download)
Fly Swatter
Powerpoint or Jpeg (right click and select save as... to download)
Please see the S1-S3 teacher guide for how the items below can be used in a classroom environment.
Watch, Listen and Note Jigsaw
Sentencing Placemat (right click and select save as... to download)
Fly Swatter
Powerpoint or Jpeg (right click and select save as... to download)
Lucky Dip
Deciding a Sentence
Please see the S1-S3 teacher guide for how the items below can be used in a classroom environment.
Watch, Listen and Note Jigsaw
Lucky Dip
Deciding a Sentence
ICT Task
Please see Teacher Guide for:
National 4 and 5 Modern Studies Social Issues: Crime and the Law
These resources can be used for the Crime and the Law unit when teaching about the impact of crime. Pupils will already have covered the causes of crime but not the penal system.
Please see Teacher Guide for:
Study theme A: Understanding the criminal justice system and
Dissertation title: 'Scotland’s court system is efficient and effective in dealing with crime and criminality'
Sentencing Young People videos
The Council's third overarching guideline is on sentencing young people. We have created three short animated videos to explain the key themes of the guideline: maturity, rehabilitation, and the individualised approach.
Maturity
Rehabilitation
Individualised approach
An individualised approach takes into account background and circumstances, including the impact of any trauma or adverse childhood experiences