Legal Policy Memorandum Guidelines

Overview: For this assignment, you will write a legal policy memorandum to the chief of police proposing a strategy to minimize the negative impact a controversial issue may have on the criminal justice system. By beginning to analyze one specific issue, this memorandum will help prepare you for your Milestone One submission in Module Three.

There are many controversial topics in the field of criminal justice. So far, you have been introduced to a few of these issues, such as improper or excessive use of force, police corruption, disparity in prison sentences based on race, improper training or policies, racial profiling, and civil liability, to name a few. Often, these issues create a negative public perception of the criminal justice system.

After being introduced to the controversial issues of victims' rights and jailhouse informants in this module's resources, you will select one such critical issue that is interesting to you and propose a strategy to minimize the negative impact this issue has on public perception of the field of criminal justice.

This assignment may be related to the issue you will ultimately select in Module Three for your final project, and should certainly get you thinking about controversial issues in the criminal justice system. First, to choose an issue to complete this task, refer to your textbook-an excellent resource-as well as the following optional resource for Module Two: A Criminal Quartet: The Supreme Court's Resolution of Four Critical Issues in the Criminal Justice System. This resource examines four recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings related to controversial issues in the criminal justice arena.

Next, identify an evidence-based strategy in dealing with this issue. You are free to use the issues presented in Frequently Asked Questions: Evidence-Based Practices in Criminal Justice Settings, but you may also select your own. Also review the Problem-Solving Strategies and Sample document. In your memorandum, identify the controversial criminological issue you selected and describe how it may negatively affect public perception of the criminal justice system.

Use the Memorandum Template to complete the assignment.

Prompt: Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

1. Issue Presented: Summarize the issue in the form of a brief one-sentence question.

2. Short Answer: Provide a short answer which summarizes the conclusion of the memorandum.

3. Statement of Facts: Describe how the issue may negatively affect public perception of the criminal justice system.

4. Discussion: Provide a brief discussion of the issue, including the recent history of the issue and any legal precedents related to it.

5. Conclusion: Provide a conclusion based on the details of the issue outlined in the Discussion section.

6. Recommendations:

a. Based on your reading, propose at least one evidence-based practice to minimize the negative impact this issue may have on public perception of the criminal justice field.

b. Describe what possible successful outcomes might result from addressing this issue by analyzing it with evidence-based practices.

Reference your textbook or other course readings to support your submission.

For assistance in writing this memorandum, please review the Sample Legal Policy Memorandum as well as the optional article How to Write an Interoffice Legal Memorandum.

MEMORANDUM FORMAT -

To:

From:

Re:

Date:

Issue Presented:

Short Answer:

Statement of Facts:

Discussion:

Conclusion:

Recommendations (including types of evidence-based practices and best practices supported by conflict theory):

References: