Busted! Discussion questions
Busted! is an interactive narrative that shows the legal system through the eyes of BIPOC youth.
How do white people and BIPOC people experience the criminal justice system differently? How do those differences affect the impact of these experiences, and why do these disparities exist? After viewing Busted! consider the following discussion questions.
Observational questions
What did you learn from this experience that you didn’t know before?
What surprised you?
Did anything confirm suspicions you already had about the criminal justice system?
Reflective questions
Did this situation remind you of any others?
Do you feel any conflict about Deshawn’s involvement in the offense?
Do you think that Deshawn and Kay should have similar legal outcomes? Why or why not?
Do you think scenarios like this should have a lasting impact on people’s lives?
How has your skin color and background affected your interactions with police and the criminal justice system?
Interpretive questions
What types of changes would you like to see in the criminal justice system?
How can we raise awareness about the racial disparities in our systems?
Outside of an arrest, what kinds of solutions could be applied for non-violent offenses like these?
How does this scenario reflect on other criminalized social issues, like protests or houseless encampments?
Decisional questions
Will this experience affect the way you move throughout the world?
If you could change one thing about the criminal justice system to improve the outcome for Deshawn, what would you change?
How can you as an individual help to improve outcomes for people moving through the legal system as it exists now?
Busted! was made possible through funding from the Arts and Culture Heritage Fund of the Minnesota Legacy Amendment.