Law Meets Life: A Classroom Simulation on Poverty and Due Process

On April 9, 2025 students in Professor Carla Pratt’s Constitutional Law class participated in an interactive poverty simulation using the Missouri Poverty Simulation Kit, recently acquired by the OU Law Library at Professor Pratt’s request.

The simulation featured 12 real-world “stations” — including a Bank, Food Super Center, Police Department, Trap House, Doctor’s Office, and more — spread across the Collaborative Learning Center (CLC). Students were challenged to navigate systems like childcare, employment, housing, and social services, while confronting the barriers faced by many Americans living in poverty.

Professor Pratt led the experience as a lead-in to class discussions about due process — a concept she notes is often denied to individuals living in poverty.

Huge thanks to Professor Pratt for bringing constitutional law to life in such a powerful way.