Research Paper and PowerPoint Presentation: The goal of the Research Paper and PowerPoint Presentation is to academically research two special needs topics. Students will start by finding a facility within their county that handles offenders in a manner deemed to be an offender treatment facility and evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment, including a comparison of theory and practical information. If the treatment facility is located in a correctional setting, then the treatment must be deemed as an actual treatment facility and not just a custodial facility. Students will conduct research on any two special needs topics. The Research Paper will be more cohesive if students match the special needs topics to their chosen facility. Each student's interview must be synthesized into their research paper and compared and contrasted with the research. The interview should not be just a copy of the questions and the answers of their interview but rather a summary of the highlights of their interview.
Research Paper will include:
A. Researching Two Topics
For the purpose of this Research Paper, each student will be an investigator. You will identify two areas of interest for the research from the special needs list below. Each special need is to be completely researched.
Special Needs List
Substance abuse and Juvenile Offender
B. Summarizing the Highlights of a Treatment Facility Interview
Look at the treatment facility from the view of a researcher/investigator. Interview specifics:
State the name and title of the administrator or leader you interviewed.
State the name and location of the facility.
Provide information on the program as to who the program serves, including the ages of offenders, nature of the offenses that persons in their program serve, types of treatments provided at their program, and length of time their program has treated offenders.
If the program uses a formal evaluation process, describe it in detail and include what process the offender and personnel in the facility must complete. This is an important part of your rubric evaluation, so ask follow-up questions.
Explain details about how the program is funded and include if the program is grant funded or funded by the county or state.
This should be a summary or highlight of the interview but not the actual interview questions and answers.
C. Research Paper Information
The length will be dictated by the topic, and should be a minimum of 2500 words, not including the cover page and reference page.
The Research Paper must include a detailed synthesis of your interview findings and your research of your two topics.
The Research Paper must be in APA format and include the following: cover page, abstract, discussion, conclusion, and references.