7-2 Project Submission

Project Guidelines and Rubric.html

CJ 485 Project Guidelines and Rubric

Competency

In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following competencies:

• Analyze existing research to identify a problem faced by criminal justice professionals
• Evaluate the feasibility of potential solutions to a problem faced by criminal justice professionals
• Recommend evidence-informed solutions to a problem faced by criminal justice professionals

Scenario

The U.S. Department of Justice states that funding obtained through a grant can be used in the following ways:

[T]o support law enforcement and public safety activities in state, local, and tribal jurisdictions; to assist victims of crime; to provide training and technical assistance; to conduct research; and to implement programs that improve the criminal, civil, and juvenile justice systems. (2020)

You are a criminal justice professional working in the field and have been asked by your supervisor to write several sections of a grant proposal. The purpose is to address a recent problem in your pillar of criminal justice (law enforcement, courts, or corrections). Specifically, you have been asked to provide background on the problem you identified, identify a contributing factor of that problem, and elaborate on the best solution for the contributing factor. Your research and the solution you offer will benefit your office and the public by influencing needed policy changes.

Directions

Grant Elements To complete your sections of the grant, you need to choose and research a problem in criminal justice. Use the research questions you saved to your ePortfolio in Week 8 of each of your criminal justice program courses for ideas. The grant committee has assigned you to complete the pieces outlined below.

Statement of Need

1. Analyze existing research to identify a problem in criminal justice. Be sure to address each of the following:
   1. Select and identify a problem related to the criminal justice field.
   2. Identify factors contributing to the problem.
   3. Choose one factor contributing to the identified problem for which you would like to propose a solution.
2. Analyze existing data provided by law enforcement, courts, or corrections related to a contributing factor of your identified problem. Be sure to address each of the following:
   1. Explain the types of data needed to best analyze the contributing factor of the problem.
   2. Collect data relevant to the contributing factor of the problem.
3. Analyze how the contributing factor of the problem affects the general public. Be sure to address each of the following:
   1. Explain the types of data best suited to measuring the impact on the general public.
   2. Explain how you would measure the impact on the general public.
4. Analyze how the the contributing factor of the chosen problem affects the criminal justice system. Be sure to address each of the following:
   1. Identify which component of the criminal justice system (law enforcement, courts, or corrections) the contributing factor of the problem primarily affects.
   2. Explain how the contributing factor of the problem affects the organizational structure, culture, and processes of that criminal justice component.
   3. Explain how the contributing factor of the problem might impact other components of the criminal justice system.

Problem Statement

1. Craft a problem statement that addresses a specific factor of your identified problem.

Solution Definition and Evaluation

1. Analyze data and research to inform a potential solution to the identified factor of the problem. Be sure to address each of the following:
   1. Describe a potential solution to address the identified factor of the problem.
   2. Describe the methods you used to analyze data and research for the solution. Include how you chose these methods.
   3. Explain how the datasets you selected serve to explain the reasons for the contributing factor of the problem.
2. Evaluate your potential solution’s benefits and drawbacks for internal stakeholders. Be sure to address each of the following:
   1. Describe the criteria you used to evaluate benefits and drawbacks for your solution.
   2. Explain how the benefits and drawbacks of the solution might reflect on your agency.
   3. Explain how the benefits and drawbacks of the solution might impact the relevant component(s) of the criminal justice system:
      1. Law enforcement
      2. Courts
      3. Corrections
3. Evaluate your potential solution’s benefits and drawbacks for external stakeholders. Be sure to address each of the following:
   1. Describe the criteria you used to evaluate benefits and drawbacks for your solution.
   2. Explain how the benefits and drawbacks of the solution might impact the community.
   3. Explain how the benefits and drawbacks of the solution might impact the relevant component(s) of the criminal justice system:
      1. Law enforcement
      2. Courts
      3. Corrections
4. Explain legal and regulatory considerations for your recommended solution. Be sure to address each of the following:

1. Identify which laws and regulations should be considered for your recommended solution.
2. Explain how you included case law and regulatory decisions in your recommended solution.

• Explain ethical considerations in evaluating your recommended solution. Be sure to address each of the following:
  1. Identify which ethics laws apply to your recommended solution.
  2. Explain how you would incorporate ethical considerations into your recommended solution.

Recommended Solution

1. Justify how research and data support the recommended solution. Be sure to address each of the following:
   1. Identify the types of evidence and data that support the recommended solution.
   2. Explain how the data and evidence enhance the argument for the recommended solution.
2. Explain how your solution will be evaluated once implemented. Be sure to address the following:
   1. Explain how you would measure the success of your solution and how you would include all stakeholders in this evaluation.

Presentation Considerations

1. Describe how you will communicate your recommended solution to internal stakeholders. Be sure to address the following:
   1. Include how you would present the data and evidence in support of your solution to the relevant internal stakeholders and what communication strategy you would use.
2. Describe how you will communicate your recommended solution to external stakeholders. Be sure to address the following:
   1. Include how you would present the data and evidence in support of your solution to the relevant external stakeholders and what communication strategy you would use.

Reference

U.S. Department of Justice. (2020, March 27). Grants. https://www.justice.gov/grants

What to Submit

To complete this project, you must submit the following:

• Statement of need
• Problem statement
• Solution definition and evaluation
• Recommended solution
• Presentation considerations

Your submission should be a 12- to 18-page Word document with 12-point Times New Roman font, double spacing, and one-inch margins. Any sources should be cited according to APA style.

AI Usage

If you use gen AI tools to support your work on this assignment, be sure to follow these AI usage guidelines. You must acknowledge your use of these tools in your work. Guidelines on how to cite AI tools can be found in this Shapiro Library guide.

Project Rubric

Criteria	Exceeds Expectations (100%)	Meets Expectations (85%)	Partially Meets Expectations (55%)	Does Not Meet Expectations (0%)	Value
Clear Communication	Exceeds expectations with an intentional use of language that promotes a thorough understanding	Consistently and effectively communicates in an organized way to a specific audience	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but communication is inconsistent or ineffective in a way that negatively impacts understanding	Shows no evidence of consistent, effective, or organized communication	10
Statement of Need: Existing Research Analysis	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Analyzes existing research to identify a problem in criminal justice	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include a more thorough analysis of available research or accurately identifying factors contributing to the problem	Does not attempt criterion	10
Statement of Need: Existing Data Analysis	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Analyzes existing data provided by law enforcement, courts, or corrections related to a contributing factor of an identified problem	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include explaining types of data needed to best analyze a contributing factor of the problem or collecting data relevant to a contributing factor of the problem	Does not attempt criterion	5
Statement of Need: Effect on General Public	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Analyzes how the contributing factor of the problem affects the general public	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include explaining the types of data needed to best analyze a contributing factor of the problem or collecting data relevant to a contributing factor of the problem	Does not attempt criterion	5
Statement of Need: Effect on Criminal Justice System	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Analyzes how the contributing factor of the chosen problem affects the criminal justice system	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include correctly identifying which component of the criminal justice system is affected, describing how a contributing factor of the problem specifically affects that component, or explaining how a contributing factor of the problem affects the other components of the criminal justice system	Does not attempt criterion	5
Problem Statement: The Problem Statement	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Crafts a problem statement that addresses a specific factor of the identified problem	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include addressing all the elements of a problem statement	Does not attempt criterion	10
Solution Definition and Evaluation: Data and Research Analysis for a Solution	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Analyzes data and research to inform a potential solution to the identified factor of the problem	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include describing methods used for data and research analysis, explaining why those methods were used, or explaining how the chosen datasets help explain the reasons for an identified factor of the problem	Does not attempt criterion	5
Solution Definition and Evaluation: Evaluation for Internal Stakeholders	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Evaluates the potential solution’s benefits and drawbacks for internal stakeholders	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include describing the criteria used to evaluate the solution, explaining how the solution might reflect on an agency, or explaining how the solution might impact each component of the criminal justice system	Does not attempt criterion	5
Solution Definition and Evaluation: Evaluation for External Stakeholders	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Evaluates the potential solution’s benefits and drawbacks for external stakeholders	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include describing the criteria used to evaluate the solution, explaining how the solution might impact the community, or explaining how the solution might impact each component of the criminal justice system	Does not attempt criterion	5
Solution Definition and Evaluation: Legal and Regulatory Considerations	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Explains legal and regulatory considerations for recommended solution	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include describing which laws and regulations should be considered, or explaining how case law and regulatory decisions would be included for the recommended solution	Does not attempt criterion	5
Solution Definition and Evaluation: Ethical Considerations	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Explains ethical considerations in evaluating the recommended solution	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include describing which ethics laws apply to the recommended solution, or explaining how ethical considerations would be incorporated into the solution	Does not attempt criterion	5
Recommended Solution: How Research and Data Support Solution	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Justifies how research and data support the recommended solution	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include identifying the types of evidence and data that support the solution, or explaining how the data and evidence enhance the argument for the solution	Does not attempt criterion	10
Recommended Solution: Solution Evaluation	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Explains how solution will be evaluated once implemented	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include describing how the success of the recommended solution will be measured or explaining how all stakeholders will be included in the evaluation	Does not attempt criterion	5
Presentation Considerations: Communication of Solution to Internal Stakeholders	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Describes how to communicate recommended solution to internal stakeholders	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include explaining how the internal stakeholders were identified, describing which communication strategy will be used, or describing how the evidence and data will be presented in a way that is understandable	Does not attempt criterion	5
Presentation Considerations: Communication of Solution to External Stakeholders	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Describes how to communicate recommended solution to external stakeholders	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include explaining how the external stakeholders were identified, describing which communication strategy will be used, or describing how the evidence and data will be presented in a way that is understandable	Does not attempt criterion	5
Citations and Attributions	Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with few or no minor errors	Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with consistent minor errors	Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with major errors	Does not use citations for ideas requiring attribution	5
Total:	100%