Reference no: EM132734343

Theory and Practice in Criminal Justice

CAPSTONE ASSIGNMENT

It requires an action plan for the implementation of a policy or program in an actual criminal justice agency (the agency for which the student works or for which the student aspires to work) (See Appendix A for selected topic). The action plan will consist of a PowerPoint presentation including at least 20 substantive slides (excluding title and reference slides) with detailed speaker's notes and a 10-12-page policy brief (exclusive of title page, references, and any tables, charts, graphs, or figures you choose to use).

The Policy Brief is the introduction, foundation, and basis for supporting the proposal and the PowerPoint presentation is the proposal.

The PowerPoint and policy brief must include:
1. An introduction defining the program and the criminological/criminal justice theory that supports it and suggests its success
2. Needs assessment and Agency description
3. Explanation of the program - target population, elements and plan for implementation
4. Anticipated benefits and challenges (based on research)
5. Specific projected successes of the program (based on research)
The PowerPoint presentation should have extensive speaker's notes in the "notes" section of each slide ("extensive" is relative but should include all additional information you would include verbally along with the presentation such that someone else could present it for you).

ASSIGNMENTS:
There are 3 gateway assignments: (1) concept paper, (2) reference list, and (3) introduction/outline.
Concept Paper: The concept paper is the proposal for the topic you intend to complete. Specifically, the concept paper should state the topic and the criminology or criminal justice theory that will be employed.
Concept Papers should adhere to the following submission guidelines.
1. Microsoft Word Document
2. 1-2 Pages
3. 1-inch (72 points) margins all around
4. Do not justify the text since that causes spacing issues. Always text the paper to the left
5. Times New Roman font
6. 12-Point font
7. Double-spaced
8. Include page numbers.
9. Avoid using contractions and first person in formal writing (i.e., in all the papers you will submit)
10. A proper paragraph includes at least 3 sentences but should be no longer than one page; sort your thoughts into topical paragraphs that flow from one to the next to tell your story.
11. Make sure to use proper (APA) in-text citations and a reference page.
Reference List: The Reference List must include all the materials you intend to reference in your project. Please note, that you can add or remove sources from the list as you progress with the assignments; however, the final list must meet all course requirements.
The reference list must adhere to the following guidelines.
1. APA referencing format
2. Microsoft Word Document
3. 1-inch (72 points) margins all around
4. Do not justify the text since that causes spacing issues. Always align the text to the left and use proper indentations
5. Times New Roman 12-Point font
6. References should not be double-spaced
You are expected to rely primarily on academic sources - not, websites, opinions, newspapers, magazines or anyone's prior experience. Base your work on research. I will rank your sources as follows:
1. Academic Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles.
1. Peer-reviewed titles in the fields of Law, Sociology, Psychology, Public Health, Medicine/Biology, Environmental Sciences, and Political Science are also accepted.
2. Within criminology outlets there is a tier system. Tier 1 Sources (i.e., Criminology, Justice Quarterly, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, and Criminal Justice and Behavior) are always preferred.
2. Government Reports
3. Research Reports
4. Books
5. Other (datasets, videos etc. - contact professor if you intend to use any of these sources)
6. News Outlets (newspapers & magazines) and websites (these are the least desirable and will thus get you the least amount of credit). Please note that advocacy or interest group websites will not be accepted as a proper reference.
When choosing a search tool, I recommend Criminal Justice Abstracts. Criminal Justice Abstracts is a bibliographic database that has all the essential works in criminal justice and criminology. This is the dataset I use in my research, and I highly recommend it. I particularly like this dataset because it allows you to filter the results, so you can easily select peer-reviewed references.
Introduction/Outline: The introduction must contain a clear and concise thesis statement. More specifically, it should introduce the reader to your topic. For this paper, you must introduce the reader to policy/strategy you are analyzing, or are proposing to implement, and the theory that will be employed in the implementation and/or assessment. The introduction should not be more than 1 page.
After the written introduction, the student must present a detailed outline of the paper. The outline must adhere to APA formatting. In doing this, it should provide section titles and a detailed description of subsections with information about what will be included and the references/citations that will be employed. The OWL site provides more detailed information about outlines. Your outline should include:
Introduction
Agency Description/Needs Assessment
Theoretical foundation and description of new policy/program
Implementation
Benefits and detriments
Expected successes
Conclusion
The introduction must adhere to the following guidelines.
1. Microsoft Word Document
2. 1 page
3. 1-inch (72 points) margins all around
4. Do not justify the text since that causes spacing issues. Always align the text to the left
5. Times New Roman font
6. 12-Point font
7. Double-spaced
8. Include page numbers.
9. Avoid using contractions and first person in formal writing (i.e., in all the papers you will submit)
10. A proper paragraph should include at least 3 sentences but run no longer than a page.
11. Make sure to use proper APA citations and a reference list.

The outline should adhere to APAs alphanumeric outline style.
Final Project: This assignment must adhere to following submission guidelines.
Minimum of 20 substantive slides and 10-12-page policy brief. Please note that the page limit does not include title and reference pages/slides.

The Policy Brief is the sales pitch for your proposal and the PowerPoint is the proposed policy/program details. They are not to be comprised of the same information.
PowerPoints must adhere to these formatting guidelines.
1. Font should be not less than 20 pts except for referencing.
2. Include detailed speaker's notes in the notes section of each slide that include all the information needed to provide context and complete the presentation.
Policy briefs must adhere to these formatting guidelines.
1. Microsoft Word Document
2. 1-inch (72 points) margins all around
3. Do not justify the text since that causes spacing issues. Always align the text to the left
4. Times New Roman 12-Point font
5. Double spaced
6. Include page numbers
7. Avoid contractions and first person in academic writing (i.e., in all the papers you will submit)
8. A proper paragraph should include at least 3 sentences but run no longer than a page; sort your thoughts into topical paragraphs.
9. Use proper citations. If citing a chapter from an edited volume, make sure to give credit to the proper author and not the editor(s).
10. The Paper also should be formatted with proper headings and subheadings - i.e., Introduction, Discussion etc.....(see APA rules)
11. Do not include tables and figures in the text as they mess up the formatting of the paper. If you are going to employ a table or figure to illustrate a point, do so in an appendix.
Appendix A - Policies/Strategies/Program Selected:
1. Drug Courts
Appendix B - Mainstream Criminological & Criminal Justice Theories (Drug Courts)
1. Merton's Strain Theory
2. General Strain Theory
3. Social Learning Theory
4. General Theory of Crime
5. Rational Choice Theory
6. Deterrence Theory
7. Social Control Theory

Attachment:- Practice in Criminal Justice.rar