Teenage Crime

In Spanish Harlem

All died

Hating the grocery stores

That sold them make-believe steak and bullet-proof rice and beans

All died waiting and dreaming and hating

Pedro Pietri

-“Puerto Rican Obituary”

So you live in Spanish Harlem, right? What will life hold for you? Success or failure? A large part of how your life turns out is dependent on whether you see crime as a real option or not.

Unfortunately, too many teenagers do. They see crime as an easy paycheck, some quick cash, and no big deal. What begins as laziness ends up being a dependency.

“Why does this matter to me?” you might ask yourself. Well, because it’s your home and these teenagers being locked up are your friends. You’ve decided to fight back. You’ve called a town meeting and plan on presenting a proposal to change things. You’re just sick and tired of seeing people you love commit stupid crimes because they don’t see any other options for their lives. Go to work! This is an opportunity for you to make real change and save the lives of your family and friends!

Life can be even stranger than fiction. Ernesto Quinonez’s novel, Bodega Dreams, takes on the very real issue of crime in Spanish Harlem. The narrator, Chino, must decide what to do when faced with the choice of going crooked or not.

Task: You will do web-based research on the likelihood of teenagers to get involved in crime in the neighborhood of Spanish Harlem. You will become knowledgeable about the reasons for becoming involved in crime and how it can affect one’s life. This research will help you create a written proposal that describes the social problem and then offers valid solutions.

The final product will include the following:

· Statistics on crime rates in NYC and in the Spanish Harlem neighborhood.

· Possible explanations for why teenagers get involved in crime.

· 2 real examples of teenage crime in Spanish Harlem and the consequences of those actions.

· Possible solutions to the growing social problem of teenager crime.

Your proposal should be 2 typed pages, double-spaced, in 12pt Times New Roman.

In order to complete this web quest, first, you must follow the Public Policy steps at the TIPS website. You will complete the worksheets related to each of the Public Policy steps. In order to complete those steps you will read about the problem of teenage crime in Spanish Harlem and answer questions related to teenage crime by using several of the links provided. You must also find out what the Public Policies are for teenage crime. You will use examples of teenage crime in Spanish Harlem to show how this issue affects real lives.

The Steps:

You will be working individually to fill out each of these worksheets by following the TIPS Public Policy Steps.

Define the problem. Worksheet #1

Gather evidence. Worksheet #2

Identify Causes of the problem. Worksheet #3

Evaluate existing policies. Worksheet #4

Develop your own solutions. Worksheet #5

Choose the best solution. Worksheet #6

Online Resources:

East Harlem Home Page

East Harlem Online Discussion

Public Policy Fact Sheet

New York State Criminal Court

Harlem Center For Court Innovation

Puerto Rican Herald

You will use the PPA worksheets to create your written report. The following rubric will be used to grade that report.

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Organization	Information is very organized with well-constructed paragraphs and subheadings.	Information is organized with well-constructed paragraphs.	Information is organized, but paragraphs are not well-constructed.	The information appears to be disorganized. 8)
Quality of Information	Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples.	Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples.	Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given.	Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic.
Internet Use	Successfully uses suggested internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance.	Usually able to use suggested internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance.	Occasionally able to use suggested internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance.	Needs assistance or supervision to use suggested internet links and/or to navigate within these sites.
Mechanics	No grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors.	Almost no grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors	A few grammatical spelling, or punctuation errors.	Many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.

Grades are given on the following point system:

14 points= A, 12 points= B, 10 points= C,

8 points=D, less than 8 points=F

Standards Used in the Project

English Language Arts

Standard E2a: Student Creates a Written Report

Standard E1c: Student Reads Informational Materials

Standard E3d: Student Makes Informed Decisions about Media Sources

Standard E4a: Student demonstrates an Understanding of the English Language

Standard E7a: Student Critiques Functional Documents

Social Studies

Standard S.S.4: Students demonstrate their understanding of how societies develop economic systems

Standard S.S.5: Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments

Remember:

You have choices. Make the right one.

OR

Conclusion:

After researching the problem of juvenile crime in Spanish Harlem and creating a valid proposal to try and change the pattern of youth involvement in criminal activity, you will understand that the opportunities offered to you on the streets are not the only ones available to you.

You will see that juvenile crime does not lead to success. You will also understand the role of a public policy maker, by taking on that role in your own community.

It is absolutely vital to be informed in a democratic society. Public policy analyst gives you the opportunity to make a difference in your own community. You can actually make real and positive change.