Rough justice in Salem

Summary : This activity is comprised of two exercises. The first uses video footage of interviews and text from the play to establish the flaws in the justice system in Salem. The second exercise asks student to match these flaws to a feature of the British justice system.

Key Words : Criminal Justice System, objectivity, fairness

Key Questions : Why could some of the people involved in the Salem trials not be trusted to tell the truth? How did innocent people end up in court? What features of the court contributed to the miscarriage of justice?

National Curriculum Links : Citizenship Programme of Study: 1a, 2b

Guidance on how to carry out Activity Two in class

Starter: Introducing the concept of miscarriages of justice

Prior to the main activity, teachers should ask students to think about examples from their own life of when they have been blamed for something they didn’t do. Students can also draw upon knowledge from history of famous miscarriages of justice. Students should try to explain how these situations come about.

Activity: Identify the flaws in the justice system in Salem

Students should be given Worksheet 1 (see attachment below).

By referring to the suggested video footage and the excerpt from the play provided, identify 5 flaws in the Salem justice system.

The teacher should then give the students Worksheet 2 (see attachment below).

This worksheet has a list of features of the British Criminal System that serve to protect citizens from flaws like those of Salem. The students’ task is to match up the flaw with the feature.

Extension activity: Write a lawyer’s speech

Students could be asked to imagine they were a lawyer going into the Salem courtroom. They must write a speech to the court in defence of those accused of witchcraft, pointing to the weaknesses in the process by which they have been accused and tried.