Milestone

Overview: Your final project in this course is based on a contemporary issue in the criminal justice field. This worksheet provides you the opportunity to select the issue for your project and gain instructor approval for your selection.

Prompt: Complete the following worksheet to select the contemporary issue for your project. Describe or explain this issue in your own words and explain why you selected the issue.

Instructions:

1. Select an issue from the list below that you will pursue for the final project. You may suggest an issue that is not on the list but, YOU MUST EMAIL YOUR INSTRUCTOR TO GAIN APPROVAL FOR THAT ISSUE BEFORE YOU COMPLETE THE WORKSHEET. If you select your own issue, it must be related to the criminal justice field, have potential impact to policy decisions in criminal justice organizations, and influence the actions of criminal justice professionals. You may consider issues you are reading about widely in academic journals and news sources. Write your selection in the space provided.

· Domestic violence: This entails violent abuse within the home, often involving spouses or partners within an intimate relationship. This type of crime can extend to child abuse within the home as well.

· Residential burglary: Entering into the premises of a residence, against the homeowner’s wishes, to commit a crime therein.

· Repeat offenders: Individuals who commit crimes more than once. Usually, the offender will repeat the same type of crime, increasing the amount a specific crime type occurs (creating a crime trend).

· Narcotic violations: Narcotic violations include illegally possessing, using, or distributing any illegal substance/contraband within a given area.

· Speeding: Speeding is the most common traffic infraction and is also the leading contributing factor to traffic accidents and traffic fatalities.

· Use of force complaints: Use of force complaints bring into question the officer’s methods in a controlling a subject. Were the measures that the officer took cruel and unusual? Were they excessive or did they cause unnecessary injury to the subject? My selection: _____ Use of force complaints ___________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Answer the following questions about the issue you selected, typing your response in the space provided:

a. How would you describe or explain this issue, in your own words? Be sure to define key terms in your own words.

b. Why did you select this issue? Why is it of interest to you personally and professionally?

3. Save this worksheet with your name as part of the file name. For example, Mod1_WS_John_Doe and submit in Blackboard.

4. Refer to the grading rubric below for more information.

Guidelines for Submission: Submit this completed worksheet. If appropriate, use the feedback provided by your instructor to revise your worksheet and then re-submit. This submission is graded on a pass/fail basis. You may resubmit as needed to obtain full credit on the assignment.