High school seniors at Hamilton Heights School Corporation recently took part in a hands-on lesson about criminal justice through their Senior English class. After reading Killing Mr. Griffin, Mrs. Volz’s class met with Hamilton County Deputy Prosecutor James Baldwin and School Resource Officer Kevin Neal to learn about how the legal system works. The discussion covered topics such as separation of powers, prosecutorial discretion, and burden of proof.
The guest speakers led a discussion to help explain how law enforcement works and how communities are protected. According to a social media post from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Indiana, students were asked to apply what they learned by choosing possible charges for each character in the story and deciding the level of punishment based on each person’s involvement.
The exercise was designed to go beyond the novel and help students understand accountability and the consequences of violent crime. It encouraged them to think not only about legal concepts but also about how the legal system is applied in real-life situations.
