CRJU Research Paper

Due: Please refer to syllabus

Assignment: From at least three (3) reputable sources –of which 1 (one) credible source must be from the scholarly, peer-reviewed journal article, and 1 (one) source must be from a credible government/professional organization - Students are expected to research information related to one of the following criminal justice decision-making points:

· Arrests;

· Plea Bargains;

· Bail; or

· Sentencing: Incarceration

Students are expected to:

· Summarize the rates, of the selected decision-making point, based on socio-economic class or race and ethnicity;

· Summarize steps taken (at a minimum, two existing programs, initiatives, and/or policies) that attempt to remedy disproportionate minority representation;

· Assess the efficacy of the present policies and practices and provide their rationale for deeming them ineffective/effective; and

· Suggest practices/policies that they predict would decrease disproportionate representation of minorities at the research.

Format: The document, submitted to Safe Assign, must be type-written, specifically double-spaced, one-inch margins, and 12- point font. There is NO page minimum; rather students should be concerned with their comprehensive/exhaustive coverage of the topic area.

Students must use APA format for citations and references; students must cite sources in the body of the report (in-text citations) and include a list of sources at the end of the report (reference page).

Submission: Prior to the submission date students are required to use Safe Assignment. The acceptable Safe Assign score will be determined by the individual instructor/professor.

Grading: Students will be graded on the completeness of the assignment as well as the quality and thoroughness of their paper. Failure to follow instructions can result in point deductions.

NOTE: By providing the required items students can achieve a “C’ grade on this assignment. Students wanting to acquire a higher grade will need to appropriately embellish their papers. They can provide notably extra detail on the above information areas (please see the Rubric).

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate to the instructor/professor that students are competent in each of these General Education objectives:

I. Local and Global Diversity:

Researching and assessing the topic of either police arrests, the use of plea bargains, or incarceration within diverse population groups.

II. Professional and Personal Ethics:

Researching a specified CJS Decision-Making point and evaluating the efficacy of present polices/practices to decrease disproportionate minority representation at targeted decision-making points in the CJS.

III. Critical Analysis and Reasoning:

Predicting practices/policies that would decrease disproportionate representation of minorities are targeted decision-making points in the Criminal Justice System.

IV. Information Literacy:

Identifying and evaluating appropriate resources for research as well as effectively incorporate the information using APA format for in text citations and references

V. Written and Oral Communication:

Writing coherently and communicating ideas related to data, practices, and efficacy of one of three present CJS practices.

Furthermore, this assignment will assist students in obtaining the following course objectives:

VI. (CCO#6) Analyze the structure and role of law enforcement in a diverse society;

VII. (CCO#8) Describe the factors that influence sentencing;

VIII. (CCO#10) Summarize the historical development of institutional corrections and current issues related to the inmate population, including its relationship to global incarceration rates; and

IX. (CCO#14) Correlate the discretion that is exerted throughout the criminal justice process with the importance of ethical decision-making at each step.

Audience: The audience of this project is the instructor/professor; assume that he/she is un-informed, an outsider to the field of criminal justice. He/she is also not psychic, students need to make sure the information they present is self-explanatory and would not require additional clarification.

Revisions: As determined by the individual instructor or professor.