Select one of the following issues to address in project:

· Are public attitudes and perceptions of crime and the criminal justice system influenced by media?

· Are violence and crime caused by media?

· Should criminal justice professionals closely follow constitutional guidelines regarding due process?

· Is excessive use of force by the police a systematic problem?

· Does the criminal justice system discriminate against minority and female offenders?

· Should the criminal justice system maintain the current balance between defendants' rights and victims' rights?

· Should the death penalty be abolished in the United States?

· Should inmates retain all constitutional rights and privileges when they enter a correctional facility?

· Should the War on Drugs be continued even though it leads to prison overcrowding?

· Are career criminal or repeat offender laws an effective deterrent against crime?

· Do the advantages of increased technology within the criminal justice system outweigh the disadvantages?

· Has the adoption of new technologies given law enforcement too much power?

· Does the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 infringe on civil liberties?

Write a 2,100- to 2,450-word editorial on the contemporary criminal justice issue you selected.

Include the following information in your editorial piece:

· Provide a definition of the issue and pertinent facts about the issue.

1. How does this issue affect all components of the criminal justice system?
2. How does this issue affect the public?

· State your position on the issue.

· Provide facts and arguments to support your position on the issue.

· Describe opposing points of view on the issue.

· Refute opponents' points of view with facts and arguments.

· Describe possible solutions to the criminal justice issue.

Include sources to support your argument. You may use the textbooks, articles in the University Library, or reputable sources on the Internet.

Write a 75- to 100-word response to the following questions:

· Of the contemporary issues examined in this course, which three issues did you feel most strongly about and why?

· Did you have a definite opinion about these issues?

· Which issue seemed to be the most irresolvable, and what do you think the future holds for that issue?