A low score seemingly implies that the convicted defendant should be receiving a more severe sentence. This is just a handy guide for students to use in accessing what they think the sentence should be. Remind students that a formal report should be written with a formal recommendation to the court. At least two pages would be the minimum length of the report. After the reports have been written and each dent has recommended a sentence to the court, a debriefing in class can take place.
Selected students can read their reports and justify their sentence recommendation.
The instruction might ask the class why different sentences were suggested by the students. Ask the students how they would compare and contrast the decisions made by other students acting as officials of the probation department. Have class break into groups of two students each. One of the students will play the role of a probation department official and the other will be the defendant. Explain to the students that they will recreate an interview by a probation department official of the defendant Samuel Harris.