Who enforces the law?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the roles of a range of different people involved in enforcing the law and evaluate the significance of their roles.
Key learning points
- Law enforcement refers to the people/groups that make sure everyone follows the laws in society.
- Many people and organisations in England and Wales play a role in enforcing the law within the justice system.
- Each group plays a key role in law enforcement; removing any would disrupt the system's efficiency.
Keywords
Law - rules, usually made by Parliament, that are used to order the way in which a society behaves
Enforcement - the act of making sure rules, laws or agreements are followed or carried out
Role - refers to the function or responsibility that someone or something has in a particular situation, system or organisation
Common misconception
Only the police enforce the law.
The police play a key role in enforcing the law, however, they are not the only ones involved. Other groups, like magistrates, judges, the CPS, and lawyers, all have important roles in making sure laws are followed and justice is served.
Teacher tip
Use real-life examples and activities like role-playing or group projects to help pupils explore the roles in law enforcement. Compare the responsibilities of police, magistrates, and lawyers to characters in a story, making the concept more relatable, showing how they work together.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a law?
Q2.Which branch of the separated powers make laws?
Q3.What colour paper is being described in the law making process: A government consultation document that lets people give feedback on proposed law?
Q4.What is the final stage of the law making process?
Q5.What is a law known as during the proposal phase?
Q6.Match the word to its correct definition.
people living together in an ordered community
the group of people with the authority to govern a country
has three parts: the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the monarch
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these is the odd one out?
Q2.What does CPS stand for?
Q3.How many adults form a jury?
Q4.Which group creates and reviews laws?
Q5.Match the description to the law enforcer.
they handle smaller or less serious cases than judges
help enforce the law by giving legal advice
are legal experts trained to speak in all types of courts
interpret the law, preside over court cases and give sentences
Q6.How does the involvement of multiple groups impact law enforcement and what might happen if one group is removed?
To help you plan your 10 citizenship lesson on: Who enforces the law?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 citizenship lesson on: Who enforces the law?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 citizenship lessons from the What are the strengths and weaknesses of the legal system? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.