Final Project Guidelines and Rubric

Overview

For your final project, you will analyze a contemporary issue in criminal justice and provide an evidence-based recommendation to address the issue, selecting an issue of interest on which to focus your brief. You will analyze how the issue has evolved, apply criminological theories to identify causes of the issue, assess the impact of the issue on the community, and propose strategies to address the issue.

Professionals in the field of criminal justice are often faced with making difficult decisions related to critical issues in their field. Those that are able to effectively take action to address these issues are seen as leaders in the field. To effectively form conclusions and recommend appropriate action, it is essential that professionals first analyze the background of the issue. Professionals must understand the history of the issue, the contributing factors, and the impact of the issue on the various individuals and groups involved, all through conducting research and applying criminological theories. This information will then inform data-driven recommendations to effectively address the issue. While the scale of these recommendations may vary (as some resolutions may be immediate while others are complete cultural changes), the solutions will all be rooted in data, and the success of results will be continuously monitored.

In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

· Analyze the evolution of contemporary criminal justice issues for their impact on society

· Draw connections between contemporary criminal justice issues and core criminological theories for identifying factors that contribute to the issues

· Determine how contemporary criminal justice issues impact institutions, individuals, and the ability of key stakeholders to influence change

· Assess the effectiveness of strategies used by public service agencies in the delivery of criminal justice services

· Propose evidence-based strategies to address contemporary issues impacting the delivery of criminal justice services

The project is divided into  three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in  Modules Three, Five, and  Seven. The final case analysis will be submitted in  Module Nine.

Prompt

For this project, you will play the part of a team leader working in a criminal justice agency. You have been asked by the senior leadership to assist with addressing an issue that is negatively impacting the delivery of criminal justice services. You have been asked to write a brief providing an evidence-based recommendation to address the issue, while also detailing your research, which will then inform the solution that the senior leadership will present to the mayor. You will select a contemporary issue that is negatively impacting the delivery of criminal justice services to be the focus of your brief, and then research the history of the issue, select a solution, and propose strategies for implementing the solution.  Although you may choose your own topic, you may not choose public policy.

Specifically, the following  critical elements must be addressed:

I. Introduction

A. Describe the criminal justice  issue you have selected. Specifically, how is this an issue in the field of criminal justice, what is the general impact of the issue on society, and why does the problem need to be addressed?

B. Describe the  evolution of the selected  issue throughout history, providing specific examples. In other words, how did this become an issue? What factors have caused the issue to evolve? For example, a regulation may have been created in the past to address an issue, but the regulation is now irrelevant.

C. Describe the  evolution of the historical  perception of this issue, identifying key events and factors that influenced the public perception. For example, did the public always view the topic as an issue? How has technology impacted public perception?

II. Issue Analysis

A. Select a criminological  theory that informs your understanding of the issue, justifying your selection.

B. Identify  factors contributing to the issue, justifying your identifications with the selected criminological theory. In other words, what are the factors contributing to the issue? How is the identification of these factors supported by the selected theory?

C. Describe how the issue impacts the  criminal justice system, providing specific examples of how the branches of the criminal justice system are affected by the issue. For example, how does the issue impact law enforcement, the courts, and corrections?

D. Describe how the issue impacts the  general public, providing specific examples. Does the issue affect specific populations?

E. Determine the key  stakeholders of the issue, identifying both the key people impacted by the issue and those with the power to influence change. Justify your selections.

F. Describe  strategies that are currently employed to address the issue. These strategies may be used in the community with the issue, or in a different community with the same issue.

G. Assess the  effectiveness of the previously identified strategies in addressing the issue, justifying your assessment. How effectively do the strategies combat the issue, and where are there gaps?

H. How does your previous assessment impact the specific  branches of the criminal justice system? Justify your response. In which branches are the strategies most and least effective?

III. Recommendations

A. Propose a  solution to address the issue in criminal justice, justifying your proposal with your previous research. In your justification, you may consider the complexity of the solution, the possible adverse effects, and the feasibility of the solution in terms of time and resources.

B. Apply criminological  theory to justify how your proposed solution will address the underlying causes of the issue.

C. Outline the  immediate actions that will need to be taken to implement the solution, justifying the necessity and feasibility of these actions with evidence. Consider how you will create buy-in among invested parties.

D. Outline the  long-term actions that will need to be taken to implement the solution, justifying the necessity and feasibility of these actions with evidence. Consider how you will create buy-in among invested parties.

E. Determine the types of  data necessary  to assess whether or not your  solution is successful in addressing the issue, justifying your determinations. How will you measure your success of the solution?

Milestone

Milestone One:  Selection of Contemporary Criminal Justice Issue In  Module Three, you will select a  contemporary issue that is negatively impacting the delivery of criminal justice—one that will be the focus of your final case analysis and recommendation brief. In this draft, you will demonstrate your understanding of the issue and its history, evolution, and development. You will need to focus on past and future criminological theories and policies behind these issue. Given your analysis of the issue, discuss the impact on society and what problems need to be addressed to remedy the negative ramifications. This milestone must be formatted according to APA style. Cite your sources within the text of your paper and on the reference page.  This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric.

Milestone Two:  Criminal Justice Issue Analysis In  Module Five, you will submit your in-depth  analysis on the contemporary criminal justice issue that you have selected. This analysis will identify factors contributing to the issue by examining the criminological theories behind the issue. Specifically, what criminological theory forms your understanding of the issue? Indicate the impact of this issue on the criminal justice system. For example, how does the issue impact law enforcement, the courts, and corrections? Address the negative impacts of the issue on the criminal justice system, general public, and specific populations. Then, identify strategies to influence change. Be sure to cite any data you have analyzed so far; you will rely upon this data to provide recommendations to your criminal justice issue in both the Module Six Short Paper and your Milestone Three submission in Module Seven. This milestone must be formatted according to APA style. Cite your sources within the text of your paper and on the reference page.  This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.

Milestone Three:  Preliminary Recommendations to the Mayor In  Module Seven, you will submit a draft of your preliminary  recommendations to the mayor based on your criminal justice issue selection and analysis. These recommendations will inform the mayor and other senior leadership about a course of action to solve the issue you selected. Based entirely on your research and the analysis you provided in Milestone Two, propose a strategy to implement a solution to the issue. Assess the strategy’s potential for success, but also identify possible hurdles and obstacles to the implementation of the recommendations you have proposed. This milestone must be formatted according to APA style. Cite your sources within the text of your paper and on the reference page. Instructor feedback to this milestone should be applied to the final project, due in Module Nine.  This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Three Rubric.

Final Submission:  Final Issue Analysis and Recommendation Brief In  Module Nine, you will submit your  final issue analysis and recommendation brief. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing  all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. All of the components of the final project will be used for your portfolio.  This submission will be graded with the Final Project Rubric.

What to Submit

Your submission must include reference to recent peer-reviewed articles, be 5–7 pages in length (in addition to the title page and references) and must adhere to standard formatting (Times New Roman, 12 point font, one-inch margins), using the most recent version of the APA style manual for the citations.