7 Research

CJ 675 Milestone T wo Guidelines and Rubric

Overview: For this milestone, you will prepare a second draft of your final project that thoroughly addresses the items listed in the prompt. To complete this assignment, you must complete the textbook reading assigned in Module Seven and review the materials presented in Modules One through Seven.

As a criminal justice leader, you will often be faced with making decisions that reflect not only on you but on your department as a whole. We often use tools like statistics and crime trends to offer the best possible route to finding a solution and ultimately making a decision. The field of criminal justice is constantly changing; new laws, policies, and procedures make situational, evidence-based decision making a complicated daily task. And it is nearly impossible to make an informed decision without first researching the issues at play and leveraging the power of available data to determine the right solution for each particular situation and organization.

You will assume the role of a leader within a criminal justice organization of your choice. Based on your chosen scenario, you will be presented with a specific challenge that is emblematic of wider issues in contemporary criminal justice.

Prompt: Your task for Milestone Two is to complete the Proposal and Communication Plan sections of your final project. You will be given information (including this data set) for your scenario, but you must also conduct your own research on comparable organizations and trends in the field to determine opportunities and external threats.

The following critical elements must be specifically addressed:

I. Proposal: In this section, present and defend your plan for solving the issue facing your organization. A. Solution:

1. Based on your theoretical framework and your analysis and research, propose a solution that effectively addresses the issue. 2. Illustrate your proposal with the specific steps that the organization would need to take in order to properly execute the solution. 3. Recommend strategic methods that leadership of the organization could apply while effectively implementing your proposed solution.

B. Defense: 1. Explain how your solution will improve the situation for both your organization and the community that is affected by the issue. Use

specific examples to illustrate. 2. Explain how the data you analyzed and the trends you identified have guided you to this solution. In other words, how did your analysis

of the data inform your decision making? Use specific examples to illustrate. 3. Explain how your research led you to this solution. In other words, how did the evidence from your research inform your decision

making? Use specific examples to illustrate.

II. Communication Plan: In this section, explain how you will disseminate the key ideas of your proposal. A. Determine who the key internal and external audiences for your proposal are, and explain how you would present the information to them.

Your communication plan should reflect the best practices in the field, as discussed in your theory and methods section. B. Choose one internal audience and develop a sample communication for them regarding your proposed solution. Be sure that your

communication is appropriate for this audience and is aligned with best practices in the field. C. Choose one external audience and develop a sample communication for them regarding your proposed solution. Be sure that your

communication is appropriate for this audience and is aligned with best practices in the field.

III. References: In this section, cite all of your sources using APA formatting.

Guidelines for Submission: Your draft must be a submitted as a 4- to 5-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and sources cited in APA format.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Proposal: Solution Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates creative or insightful application of data- driven decision making to solve contemporary issues

Proposes an effective solution to the problem that is fully supported by the theoretical framework, data, and research

Proposes a solution to the problem, but it is ineffective or not fully supported by the theoretical framework, data, or research

Does not propose a solution to the problem

10

Proposal: Specific Steps

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates creative or insightful application of data- driven decision making to solve contemporary issues

Illustrates the proposed solution with specific steps that the organization would need to take in order to properly execute the solution

Discusses steps for executing the solution, but there are gaps in necessary detail

Does not discuss the steps for executing the solution

10

Proposal: Implementing

Meets “Proficient” criteria and recommendation reflects keen insight into the strategic methods used by leaders in the criminal justice field

Recommends strategic methods for leadership to use in effectively implementing the solution

Recommends implementation methods for leadership, but fails to recommend strategic methods for effectively implementing the solution

Does not recommend methods for leadership to implement the strategy

10

Proposal: Improve Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates creative or insightful application of data- driven decision making to solve contemporary issues

Defends the likelihood of the solution to substantively improve the situation for the organization and the community using specific examples

Discusses the potential of the solution to improve the situation, but fails to fully defend the solution using specific examples

Does not discuss the potential of the solution to improve the situation for the organization and the community

10

Proposal: Data Meets “Proficient” criteria and decision-making process clearly benefited from a sophisticated ability to interpret raw data and translate it into meaningful information

Demonstrates conclusively how the data informed the solution and the decision-making process

Discusses the relationship of the data to solution, but fails to conclusively demonstrate that the data informed the solution and the decision-making process

Does not discuss the relationship of the data to the solution

10

Proposal: Research Meets “Proficient” criteria and decision-making process clearly benefited from advanced research skills for the criminal justice field

Demonstrates conclusively how the research findings informed the solution and the decision- making process

Discusses the relationship of the research to the solution, but fails to conclusively demonstrate that the data informed the solution and the decision-making process

Does not discuss the relationship of the research findings to the solution

10

Communication Plan: Present the Information

Meets “Proficient” criteria and plan reflects nuanced understanding of the best practices for effectively communicating with diverse audiences

Presents a communication plan that applies best practices to effectively present information to internal and external audiences

Presents a communication plan, but it fails to apply best practices to effectively present information to internal or external audiences

Does not present a communication plan

10

Communication Plan: Internal Audience

Meets “Proficient” criteria and sample reflects nuanced understanding of the best practices for effectively communicating with diverse audiences

Includes a sample communication for an internal audience that reflects best practices in the field

Includes a sample communication for an internal audience, but it does not fully reflect best practices in the field

Does not include a sample communication for an internal audience

10

Communication Plan: External Audience

Meets “Proficient” criteria and sample reflects nuanced understanding of the best practices for effectively communicating with diverse audiences

Includes a sample communication for an external audience that reflects best practices in the field

Includes a sample communication for an external audience, but it does not fully reflect best practices in the field

Does not include a sample communication for an external audience

10

References Meets “Proficient” criteria and selection of source material reflects advanced research skills for the criminal justice field

Includes a complete bibliography of all references, which are all relevant and credible, and follows APA formatting

Includes a bibliography but it is incomplete, contains irrelevant or non-credible sources, or does not fully follow APA formatting

Does not include a bibliography 5

Articulation of Response

Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization, and it is presented in a professional and easy to read format

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

5

Total 100%