Criminal Element Research

Most crimes applicable to citizens are covered under state or federal statutes. Upon completion of this assignment, you will be able to locate your state statutes, search within them a variety of crimes, and decipher their elements.

Tasks:

For this assignment, you are required to prepare a 10-slide Microsoft PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes incorporating researched content, summarized and paraphrased in your own words from the reading assignments for this module and material from your state criminal statutes.

Do not cut and paste or otherwise copy content directly from the textbook or your state criminal statutes.
Statutes are the laws unique to the state where you live and are passed by the legislature. You are not to use the federal statutes passed by Congress. Start your research on your state home page on the Internet. Look for a link to the state statutes. Another alternative is to do a search, for example, for Colorado state statutes, on the Internet.

Once you have located the state statutes, you will search for crimes against property and crimes against persons. Another alternative is to search for the particular crimes after you have completed your reading assignments in the textbook.

In your presentation, you will include:

• Five slides on crimes against persons

• Five slides on crimes against property

You will establish the elements of each of the crimes and analyze, explain, and justify whether the crime is a felony or a misdemeanor.
In addition, you will include a slide at the end of your presentation for your references in the APA format, as is required for all Argosy assignments. Refer to your Argosy Handbook or APA materials to properly cite your text and your state statutes. On your state judicial branch home page, there may also be information on how to cite the state statutes.

The Scott Peterson Case

You are required to research the Scott Peterson case and prepare a summary report of the events that led to his arrest and eventual conviction of the crimes.

There was no direct evidence that lead to his convictions for first and second-degree murder. This case is a California State case, where for the first time, someone is on death row based solely on circumstantial evidence. Scott Peterson is currently on the death row for the killing of his wife and unborn child.

This assignment allows you to see a case all the way from the trial to the sentencing of an accused.

Tasks:

• Research the Argosy University Online Library to get the background facts of the case and document the sources you find to establish your researched facts.

• Provide enough background facts that explain what occurred in this case and how Peterson was charged and ultimately convicted. Make sure you choose wisely and present only relevant evidence leading to the conviction.

• Present a minimum of five items of evidence that the jury relied upon in reaching this decision.

• Provide a summary of the events that led to Peterson's arrest and eventual convictions of the crimes. Then, describe in detail the crimes and elements for which he was found guilty.

• In the Argosy University Online Library, locate one or two articles from criminal justice journals, related to this case. Use the information to discuss the crimes charged in the Scott Peterson case.
Compile your summary report, including all information researched, and prepare a submission paper in accordance with the following guidelines:

• This paper is to be in the APA format, with a cover sheet and a reference page at the end.

• The length of the paper is to be a minimum of three pages and no more than five pages. This length does not include your cover sheet or reference page.

• Remember that the APA font is Times New Roman, font size 12.

Domestic Dispute

You are a rookie law enforcement officer in training. You are assigned to work with a seasoned patrol officer named Roberto, who has been on the job for 15 years. You and Roberto are working the 11:00pm to 7:00am and the local bars have just closed at 2:00am. At approximately 2:20am, a neighbor called to report a potential domestic dispute located at an address Roberto is aware of because neighbors have called in two other domestic disputes in the last two months. Loud voices can be heard as you arrive on scene. You and Roberto approach the residence with caution.

You knock on the door, identify yourselves as a law enforcement officers, and the music is turned off from inside the residence. A woman answers the door bent over and bleeding from the mouth as a car starts in the driveway and speeds off. Roberto reacts quickly by running back to the police cruiser, leaves the scene, and stops the vehicle a short distance from the residence.
You record information Sarah provides about the domestic dispute between her and her boyfriend. Roberto interviews Sarah's boyfriend who drove away in the vehicle, but his story varies from Sarah's considerably. Sarah reluctantly tells you that she is afraid that a filing a report will only cause more trouble for her. Sarah refuses to file the report, refuses medical treatment, and asks to be left alone. Roberto returns to the residence, offers Sarah contact information of an anonymous domestic violence hotline, and gives her his contact information if she decides she wants to file charges. Two days later the officers are called to the home again, but this time Sarah has a broken arm. Sarah chooses to file charges against her boyfriend this time; he is arrested and taken to jail.

Here's What You Need To Do . . .

You have been asked by the Chief of Police to review and analyze this case pursuant to developing new policies for the police department. Compose a 3-6-page paper on the following:

1. Identify, define, examine, and discuss the domestic violence laws in your state applicable to this situation between Sarah and her boyfriend.

2. Compare and contrast property crimes and personal crimes and how domestic violence relates to both.

3. Evaluate victim's rights as they related to domestic violence and social responsibility in your state.

4. Analyze the criminal behavior of domestic violence and describe how criminal behavior is evaluated towards the formation of new policy for social order in the criminal justice system.

5. Compare and contrast the history and the future of domestic violence law.

Be sure to organize your paper into clear and concise paragraphs. You should read the grading rubric before starting your paper to ensure you cover all the material appropriately. Compile your paper, including all information researched, in accordance to the following guidelines:

• This paper is to be in APA format with a cover sheet and reference page at the end.

• The length of the paper is to be a minimum of three pages and no more than six pages. This length does not include your cover or reference sheets.

• Remember that APA font is Times New Roman, font size 12.

Assignment: Defenses and Excuses and Their Effects on Victims

In this assignment, you will locate the various ways to avoid a guilty verdict for criminal behavior. Until this point, you have been researching your state's criminal statutes. Now, you will turn to the defenses and excuses for criminal behavior. Be creative in your research within the statutes as these are not self-explanatory, but must be discovered by reading in between the lines. The readings in your digital assets and additional resources will help you in your research.

You will also look at the defenses and excuses not only from the defendant's viewpoint, but from the viewpoint of the victim as well. This evaluative approach will stimulate some thoughts as there is no right or wrong answer. Place yourself in the shoes of the victim to complete this part of the assignment.

What You Need To Do?

In this assignment, you need to go to your state statutes and locate at least six listed defenses and excuses based on your assigned readings. Provide a complete paragraph on each of the listed defenses and excuses explaining what is required in your state to justify a crime. Remember that a complete paragraph is a minimum of three complete sentences.

Keeping in mind the above scenario, analyze the following:

• Provide evidence on how successful using any of these defenses or excuses would be and if using them will prevent the accused from going to jail or prison.

After completing the first part of the paper, in two complete paragraphs discuss how these excuses or defenses affect victims in a particular situation.

Compile your summary report, including all information researched, and prepare a submission paper in accordance with the following guidelines:

• This paper is to be in APA format with a cover sheet and reference page at the end.

• The length of the paper is to be a minimum of three pages and no more than five pages. This length does not include your cover or reference sheets.

• Remember that APA font is Times New Roman, font size 12.

Analysis of Technology, Culture and Victims in Crime

Jamal, a straight A junior in High School, was recently involved in a physical fight with another student in the corridor of the school. Juan is a recovering alcoholic who has absenteeism issues and poor grades. Although Juan was held back in sixth grade, and struggles with social situations, he has never been involved in any disciplinary action at school. However, Jamal recently completed 90 hours of community service after being convicted of disorderly conduct and simple assault from an unrelated incident.

The school video recordings show Jamal instigating the fight, yet student witnesses reported to school officials and law enforcement that Juan was the instigator. During the investigation, a drug dog alerted law enforcement to the possibility that a controlled substance was present in Juan's locker. When confronted by law enforcement, Juan claimed Jamal planted the drugs in Juan's locker to hide Jamal's own habit. Regardless, Juan was placed under arrest. An external security camera recorded a verbal altercation between law enforcement and a group of young adults who felt Juan's arrest was racially motivated.

Tasks:

You are the District Attorney's Investigator and have been asked to evaluate this situation as pursuant to Juan's upcoming trial. Compose a 3-6 page paper to address the following:

1. Identify, define, examine, and discuss the crimes potentially committed by Juan and Jamal.

2. Identify the victim(s) in this scenario. Outline the rights of the victim(s) as they related to social responsibility.

3. Compare and contrast the legal issues that could arise for the police department in this scenario.

4. Analyze how societal diversity might have played a role in this case. Discuss ethical practices utilized by law enforcement that help them to maintain their objectivity throughout their investigation of this incident, Jamal and Juan's backgrounds, and the underlying interests of social order.

5. Evaluate the use of technology, such as video tape recordings, as demonstrative evidence in the courtroom.

Compile your paper, including all information researched, and prepare a submission paper in accordance with the following guidelines:

• This paper is to be in APA format with a cover sheet and reference page at the end.

• The length of the paper is to be a minimum of three pages and no more than five pages. This length does not include your cover or reference sheets.

• Remember that APA font is Times New Roman, font size 12.