Juvenile Justice Jeopardy teaches teens about the law

GREAT FALLS (AP) — Does a police officer need a warrant to pat you down? How should you recognize your right to remain silent? What could happen if you buy something that was stolen from a friend?

These are questions Great Falls High School students answered while testing an educational game called “Juvenile Justice Jeopardy.”

The game was created by the nonprofit organization Strategies for Youth, reported the Great Falls Tribune. Its mission is to promote better relationships and interactions between young people and police officers. The game was purchased for use in Great Falls by the Montana Board of Crime Control.

“One of the goals of the game is to try and bring them together,” said Steve O’Reilly, a game coordinator and attorney who traveled to Great Falls to teach people how to use the game.

First, O’Reilly gave a presentation to future “game leaders” — adults working for organizations that have contact with teenagers who may become involved in or already involved in the criminal justice system.

The GFPD school resource officers along with teachers and counselors from Great Falls Public Schools, representatives from Big Brothers Big Sisters, youth court officials and probation officers learned the ins and outs of the game before presenting it to students.

The game was developed using research about the teenage brain and information about Montana law, school policy and feedback from the school resource officers. The game will be tweaked with information provided by the test groups before it is released to users.

The test group of 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds split up into two teams and played through a version of the game focused on street law as it applies to students and minors.

“Where have you learned about the criminal justice system?” O’Reilly asked the group.

Most mumbled generic answers like “TV” or “school,” but one student yelled “CSI!”

The students chose their team captains and began choosing their questions. The first was about stolen property.

“Brian sells you an iPad for $20,” the question reads. “You ask Brian where he got it. Brian says, ‘Not from anyone who is going to miss it.’ What could happen to you if it turns out the iPad was stolen?”

The students correctly answered that they could be charged with receiving stolen property.

The group discussed the question further, deciding that if Brian lied about where the iPad came from and charged a higher price, the buyer may not have reason to believe the device was stolen, which is an important element of the criminal charge.

The discussion following the questions centered on topics such as the age of sexual consent in Montana, local curfew rules, the potential consequences of sending nude photos, search rights on school property, the nature of criminal accountability and what could happen in several criminal situations.

The students correctly answered that a male police officer could pat down a female student if he thought she was carrying a weapon, and that the proper way to exercise their right to remain silent is to ask for an attorney during a police interrogation or at the time of arrest.

Detective Cory Reeves, the GFH school resource officer and local point person for the game provided honest answers and discussion points for students during the trial run.

“It seemed to me the kids were engaged and gained a lot of knowledge,” he said.

Team captain Isabel Spinti said the same.

“It answered a lot of questions I’ve heard other students talking about,” she said. “More students should get the opportunity to play the game to be informed.”

The game will first be introduced in the high school street law classes taught by Officer Clint Houston. Reeves said the game would be a good fit for youth organizations, and officials at the Juvenile Detention Center are interested in using it, too.

The folks at Strategies for Youth will tweak the Montana version of the game based on feedback, which included requests for tougher questions in general and the inclusion of specific topics such as vaping rules and minor in possession of alcohol citations. Game leader trainees requested that definitions of sexual assault be included in questions and more reference to topics related to social media.

Reeves said if the game is successful in Great Falls, the Board of Crime Control would consider pushing the program statewide.

“You never know how teenagers are going to react to these types of things,” Reeves added. “But it seemed to pull them in.”