Introduction to Criminal Justice

Research Assignment

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate to the instructor/professor that students are competent in each of these General

Education objectives:

I. Local and Global Diversity:

Researching and assessing the topic of either police arrests, the use of plea bargains, or incarceration within diverse population groups.

II. Professional and Personal Ethics:

Researching a specified CJS Decision-Making point and evaluating the efficacy of present polices/practices to decrease disproportionate minority representation at targeted decision-making points in the CJS.

III. Critical Analysis and Reasoning:

Predicting practices/policies that would decrease disproportionate representation of minorities are targeted decision-making points in the Criminal Justice System.

IV. Information Literacy:

Identifying and evaluating appropriate resources for research as well as effectively incorporate the information using APA format for in text citations and references

V. Written and Oral Communication:

Writing coherently and communicating ideas related to data, practices, and efficacy of one of three present CJS practices.

Furthermore, this assignment will assist students in obtaining the following course objectives:

(CCO#6) Analyze the structure and role of law enforcement in a diverse society;

(CCO#8) Describe the factors that influence sentencing;

(CCO#10) Summarize the historical development of institutional corrections and current issues related to the inmate population, including its relationship to global incarceration rates; and

CCO#14) Correlate the discretion that is exerted throughout the criminal justice process with the importance of ethical decision-making at each step.

Assignment: Using at least three (3) reputable sources -of which 1 (one) credible source must be from the scholarly, peer-reviewed journal article, and 1 (one) source must be from a credible government/professional organization - Students are expected to research information related to one of the following criminal justice decision-making points:

• Arrests;

• Plea Bargains;

• Bail; or

• Sentencing: Incarceration

Students need to gather and summarize the following information:

• Rates based on socio-economic class and race and ethnicity; and

• Steps taken (at a minimum, two existing programs, initiatives, and/or policies) that attempt to remedy disproportionate minority representation

After summarizing the above-information, students are expected to assess the efficacy of the present policies and practices and provide their rationale for deeming them ineffective/effective.

Students should also put forward suggestions for practices/policies that they predict would decrease disproportionate representation of minorities at the research.

Format: The document, submitted to Safe Assign, must be type-written, specifically double spaced, one inch margins, and 12 point font. There is NO page minimum; rather students should be concerned with their comprehensive/exhaustive coverage of the topic area.

Students must use APA format for citations and references; students must cite sources in the body of the report (in-text citations) and include a list of sources at the end of the report (reference page).