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CRJU405
Public Policy and
Practice in Criminal Justice
Issue Papers
General Directions from Syllabus
Papers - Students are required
to prepare a two (2) typed, 3-5 page, discussion and analysis of a course
related issue. At a minimum, it is expected that the students will produce an
academically sound and properly formatted work (APA format is strongly
encouraged); with a minimum of three sources, not including the text book. The
instructor will provide more information concerning the papers during class.
The papers will be graded on content as well as exposition.
Selecting a Topic
Listed below are the ten general
areas of policy research for the Issue Papers. Many of these board categories
of issues are similar and overlapping. To help you narrow your topic selection,
I suggest you go to the
National Center for Policy Analysis.
You will find many brief articles and snapshots of various issues under these
board categories. Remember you must complete two papers, each from a different
category. You are looking for a policy or program that a government entity has
implemented as a means to solve a problem or fill a need.
1. Juvenile Crime
2. Causes & Prevention
3. Criminals
4. Police Policies
5. Punishment
6. Criminal Justice System
7. Sentencing Court System
8. Privatizing Law
Enforcement & Justice
9. Self-Defense & Gun Control
10. Technology & Crime
Paper Specifics
In
addition to being in APA format, your paper should address the following under
these specific headings.
1. Background
Briefly describe the historical
context of the problem. For instance, if you were going to look at a clean
water policy in a certain jurisdiction you might begin with how the water became
contaminated.
2. Problem Statement
In one or two sentences describe
the problem. For example, Run off from storm drains is damaging Santa Monica
Bay.
3. Policy Alternatives
For every problem there are
multiple proposed solutions. Indeed, you will likely find that multiple
solutions have been tried. In three or four sentences describe the at least two
alternatives. Remember, you must support your information with scholarly
citations.
4.
Stakeholders
Identify the stakeholders. Pay
particular attention to places where policy in one component of the criminal
justice system has affected others components.
5.
Outcomes and
Consequences
Based on the choice taken by the
government, describe the outcomes they expected and the consequences of their
choice.
6.
Recommendations
What, if anything, would you have
done differently?
According to the book
description of Criminal Justice Policy Making: Federal Roles and Processes, “The how and why
of criminal justice policy making is frequently overlooked in criminal justice texts. Stolz fills that gap with this reader,
which introduces students to the study of criminal justice policy making at the federal level by drawing on the discipline
of political science. Each chapter includes: BL academic and government publications that acquaint the reader with federal
criminal justice policy-making structures and processes BL criminal justice policy-making issues related to each branch of
government BL one or more political science frameworks, used to explain how governmental structures and processes affect criminal
justice policy.”
According to the book
description of Multicultural Issues in the Criminal Justice System, it “is the only book to
completely address diversity issues for every aspect of the criminal justice system. This book seeks to define and characterize
the dynamics of cross-cultural interaction and to provide an explanation of the circumstances that have brought American criminal
justice into the 21st century. Summarizing historical and cultural issues while relating them to the emergence of the modern
criminal justice system, the book gives a global overview of the issues affecting both victims and professionals in the criminal
justice system. For anyone interested in criminology or criminal justice, and the multicultural issues that arise in the field.”
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