criminal justice policy.

criminal justice policy.

 Identify a criminal justice policy.
2. Select a policy.
a. Based on your research, select a policy. 
b. What are the goals of the policy?
c. Are there other alternatives to the extant policy? 
d. Did policymakers reject the policy for rational or political reasons?
e. What are the tradeoffs?

3. Identify a problem the criminal justice policy. 
a. What is the problem? 
b. What was the event or series of events that highlighted the problem? 
c. Does it demand immediate attention? 
d. Who are the stakeholders, i.e. the community, individuals, the state, and so forth?
e. What is the impact of the policy issue on the stakeholders?

NOTE: Thought-provoking questions
a. What policies led to mass incarceration?
b. What are the issues with the War on Drugs from a policy perspective?
c. What policies led to prison overcrowding?
d. What are the policies related to juveniles tried as adults?
e. What are policy issues related to the criminal justice system’s response to DV?
f. What is the local, regional, or national crime policy platforms?
g. Are there policies that criminalized homelessness? 
h. Are there policies that criminalizes mental illness?
i. Are there issues with the current sentencing policy locally, regionally, or nationally?
j. Is immigration a criminal justice issue?

4. Implementation
a. What agency or organization implemented the policy? Did policymakers implement it as originally designed? 
b. Has the agency changed or skewed the policy to reflect their own interests? 
c. What are the changes and why are they important? 
d. Could another agency have done a better job? 

5. Evaluation
a. Did the policy achieve its goals? 
b. Did the policy solve the original problem? 
c. Did the policy solve a different problem? 
d. What were the costs and consequences of the policy? 
e. Did the policy achieve the goals at a reasonable cost? 
f. Was the policy a success or a failure? 

6. Modification
a. What, if any, changes are requisite?
b. Why?
c. Who will benefit?
d. What issues will the modifications address?
TIPS 
1. Make sure the analysis is organized and flows. Proofread by reading aloud. Use proper punctuation and grammar. Use words that reflect graduate level writing.

2. Accuracy is critical. Research issues related to the policy selection using the Lindenwood library, the internet, or by interviewing individuals involved in policymaking and implementation. Provide in-text citations and references to support the Information used in the analysis. Proper sources are journal articles, books, and official government websites. Wikipedia and Google are NOT acceptable references.

3. Use the outline to organize the policy analysis.

4. Use proper APA formatting. There are APA resources under Files and the Media module in Canvas, including a Sample APA paper. Use the APA Manual, 6th edition as a resource. Correct formatting facilitates the ability to read the analysis. Grading criteria for all written assignments include content, writing mechanics, and formatting. Use of the Written Assignment Checklist is required. Failure to submit an initialed checklist results in a grade of zero. The initialed Written Assignment Checklist MUST accompany submission of ALL written assignments.

Cover page 

The Cover page is simple. Do not include pictures or fancy fonts on the Cover page. It should contain a Running head, with a shortened title in all caps, the page number 1 in the top right corner, and the following information, and no more, in the top 1/3 of the page:

1. The name of the course
2. The name of the project/title of the assignment
3. The name of the university
4. Student name

Abstract 

The words “Running head” should be included in the first page header as follows: Running head: SHORTENED NAME OF PAPER. The Abstract provides a preview of the contents of the document for the reader. When conducting research, the Abstract enables the researcher to determine whether the document is relevant to the research. There is NO first line indent in the Abstract. The Abstract is page 2. It is 150-250 words. On page 2, enter the header without the words “Running head” in all caps. It should match the shortened title used on the cover page.in all caps. Additionally, insert a page number on page 2. Once you insert the header and the page number on page 2, it automatically populates on subsequent pages. 

Note: Make sure that the font of the header on page 1 and page 2 matches the font of the entire paper. Note: The words “Running head” belong in the first page heading. Note that the word “Running” begins with a capital “R” and the word “head” begins with a small “h.” 

Body

The body of the paper begins on page 3. Center and bold the title of the paper. It should match the title on the cover page. The margins for the entire document are 1” all the way around. Please set your paragraph setting correctly to avoid extra spacing in the paper. The correct settings are 0 spaces before, 0 spaces after, and double-spaced. Set your tabs at .5. Each paragraph begins with a 1/2 inch first line indent.

Use Level 2 headings. These headings are left-margin and bold. The use of headings helps with the organization of your policy analysis. There should be at least eight Level 2 headings: Begin the paper with an introduction, informing the reader of the issues addressed in the paper. The 6th Edition of the APA Manual excludes the word “Introduction”: as a Level 2 heading. Include other Level 2 headings as appropriate, i.e. the agency responsible for implementation. If proposing modification of a policy, “Existing Policy” or “Current Policy” are appropriate Level 2 headings.

Note: Capitalize all major words in Level 2 headings.

1. The Criminal Justice Problem
2. History of the Criminal Justice Problem
3. The Criminal Justice Policy
4. Goals of the Policy
5. Implementation of the Policy
6. Evaluation of the Policy 
7. Recommendations
8. Conclusion