Social/Legal research project

CRJ 570

Social Justice Project Guidelines

The Social Justice Project Paper will involve trend analysis, fact-finding policy analysis for

practitioner evidence-based decision-making, and a triangulation of criminal justice, social

justice, and responsible stewardship. The paper must be a minimum of 3,800 words in

length, but must not exceed 4,500 words.

The paper requires a minimum of 5 different non-worldwide web internet references. The

paper must be typewritten, double-spaced, standard margins, and follow the APA style and

format. The paper will be submitted through Turnitin.com. No previously submitted papers,

articles, reports or projects, in whole or part, to any university or college will be accepted. It

is expected that this will be your original work. No more than 15% of your entire document

can be quoted. The Social Justice Project Paper is 25% of your overall grade for this course.

The criminal justice system is the action mechanism for enforcing social ideologies and

policies related to acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. Moreover, the socially acceptable

sanctions and penalties are applied to law violators through the criminal justice system.

Certain sanctions carry periods of incarceration which can result in structural impediments

to re-entry as noted by convict criminologists. To place the re-entry issue into perspective,

according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), more than 700,000 state and federal

prisoners returned to their communities in 2010. Furthermore, 95 percent of state inmates

will be released into their communities at some point in time according to BJS. Today,

recidivism rates remain high though states invest more than $50 billion annually in

corrections. According to one 2011 Pew Center on States report, despite significant

increases in state funding of prisons, from a national perspective more than four in ten

offenders return to state prison within three years of their release. Recidivism is measured

by criminal violations or violations of conditions of parole or probation that resulted in the

re-arrest, reconviction, or return to prison with or without a new sentence during a three-

year period following the prisoner's release at an average annual cost of $24,000 per

offender. Recidivism can represent new victims, higher tax expenditures associated with law

enforcement, prosecutorial, and judicial processes and re-incarceration, unsupported

families, public assistance, and other negative social ramifications. A 2007 forecasting

report by the Public Safety Performance Project of the Pew Charitable Trusts, stated “If

current trajectories continue, state and federal prisons will grow by 13 percent by 2013,

adding an additional 192,000 prisoners at a cost of $27.5 billion.”

Society is responsible for the laws and the sanctions, and society as a whole benefits from

the laws and sanctions when applied. Therefore, does social justice demand the removal of

impediments to reentry for those persons that have been subject to the societal sanctions

and deemed releasable by societal agents? Does social justice exist if intended and

unintended “social sanctions” deny access and opportunity which exceed the socially applied

legal sanctions in which it is implicit “the societal debt is paid”? If not, what is being done

from public and social policy perspectives, to achieve social justice by ultimately reducing

victimization, improving outcomes for offenders returning to their communities, and

favorably impacting recidivism by strengthening prisoner reentry?

To the latter question, it should be noted in April of 2008, Public Law 110-199, the Second

Chance Act of 2007: Community Safety through Recidivism Prevention (Title 42 U.S.Code,

Section 17501), was signed into law. The Purposes and Findings provided in Section Three

of the Act are detailed and significant in terms of insight into national reentry and recidivism

issues. You are required to review the full Act incident to this research and your review of

the Act must be evident in your paper. The Act passed with exceptional bipartisan

Congressional support in addition to considerable support from interdisciplinary leaders in

the public and private sectors.

An evidence-based approach to reducing crime and improving public safety is provided by

the Act in support of reentry programs and policies. The Act supports the following:

 Employment assistance and job-skills training

 Substance abuse treatment

 Housing assistance

 Family-based programming

 Individual and group mentoring, and

 Victim support

From Fiscal Year 2009 to Fiscal 2012 Congress authorized $171 million in aggregate funding

as a result of the Act. More than 300 local, state, or tribal public agencies and nonprofit

organizations from 48 states have received funding for reentry programs serving adults and

juveniles.

The Act reflects concerns raised by Convict Criminologists which embody what many would

consider to be social justice interests; particularly as related to so called “structural

impediments to reentry” into communities being among the catalysts contributing to

recidivism. For example, Ex-convict professor Edward Tromhauser, a convict criminologist,

asserts every “convict” requires a place to stay, employment, and emotional support

incident to reentry. The convict criminology group was formed at the American Society of

Criminology annual beginning in 1997. The term convict criminology was coined by Stephen

C. Richards and Jeffrey Ian Ross. The Convict School of Criminology is said to have been

formalized with a 2001 journal article and in the 2003 book Convict Criminology.

The States of Oregon, Michigan, and Missouri have experienced considerable success in

addressing prisoner reentry issues and reducing recidivism. Your paper must provide a

comprehensive overview of the National prisoner reentry and recidivism issues and recent

rates, and also provide details relative to the multiple initiatives and efforts undertaken in

the States of Oregon, Michigan, and Missouri that have produced success.

You will be graded with the following criteria:

 Provided a comprehensive National perspective and overview of recidivism rates and

trends and prisoner reentry issues; both impediments and initiatives for successful

reentry.

 Detailed, described, and explained the wide array of practices and policy initiatives in

the States of Oregon, Michigan, and Missouri, to successfully address re-entry

structural impediments and recidivism rates.

 Clearly addressed the potential future National applications, implications, and

ramifications of the identified successful practices and initiatives in the three States.

 Provided National recidivism rate trend data.

 Conclusion is evaluative, clearly stated, rational, logical and factually based.

 Writing and grammar skills are appropriate to the graduate level.

 Resources are completely and appropriately cited and referenced using APA Style.

 The SLU focus core value of responsible stewardship addressed speficically.

The final Social Justice Research Project paper is due to the Dropbox no later than Sunday

at 11:59 pm EST/EDT of Module 6. (This Dropbox basket is linked to Turnitin).

Grading Rubric: Following is the grading rubric to be used in evaluating the Social Justice

Project.

Exceptional corresponds to an A (93-100%). Performance is outstanding; significantly

above the usual expectations.

Proficient corresponds to a grade of B to A- (83-92%). Skills and standards are at the level

of expectation.

Basic corresponds to a C to B- (73-80%). Skills and standards are acceptable but

improvements are needed to meet expectations well.

Novice corresponds to a D (65 - 72%). Performance is weak; the skills or standards are not

sufficiently demonstrated at this time.

0 This criterion is missing or not in evidence.

Criteria

Rating

0 Novice Basic Proficient Exceptional

The paper extensively and

critically develops the National

perspective and comprehensive

overview of recidivism, recidivism

rates, trends in recidivism, and

prisoner reentry issues while

clearly articulating the student’s

findings, and providing a coherent

conclusion that is evaluative,

clearly stated, rational, logical and

factually based

0-

20 1 - 5

6 -

10 11 -15 16 - 20

Details, describes, and explains

the wide array of practices and

policy initiatives for the States of

Oregon, Michigan, and Missouri,

that successfully address re-entry

structural impediments and

recidivism rates with appropriate

in-depth analysis

0-

20 1 - 5

6 -

10 11 - 15 16 -20

Clearly identifies and addresses

the central thesis of recidivism

rates and trends, the current

impediments to successful

reentry, and reentry initiatives to

reduce or remove impediments to

facilitate reduced recidivism in the

future and logically analyzes and

discusses the topics

0-

20 1 - 5

6 -

10 11 - 15 16 - 20

Writing and grammar skills are

appropriate to the graduate level

and sources are completely and

appropriately cited and referenced

APA style and format

0-

20 1 - 5

6 -

10 11 - 15 16 - 20

Subject matter presented in paper

reflects in-depth critical thought

presented in a clear concise

manner and relates the subject

matter to the SLU Core Value of

Responsible Stewardship, i.e.,

Can recidivism be reduced, so

taxpayers do not cyclically fund

habitual offenders who aren’t

prepared to re-enter society? Can

prisons and jails do a better job

preparing offenders for success

upon release? Will dollars spent

on rehabilitation and reentry

services ultimately lower

expenditures on corrections?

What overall social benefits will

accrue from reduced unsuccessful

reentry and reduced recidivism?

0-

20 1 - 5

6 -

10 11 - 15 16 - 20