The goal of the Final Research Paper is to master the literature, including current research on traditional, contemporary and future criminological trends and theories to combat national and international crimes in the Twenty-First Century United States (U.S.).
This eleven-to seventeen-page paper will contain three distinctive parts and comprise each of the following:
An analysis of the changes from traditional to contemporary criminological approaches to crime fighting and prevention.
An interpretation of how changes in federal, state and local laws and policing trends are the results of U.S. societal demographic changes.
An assessment of how the rise of international terrorism has affected U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies into cooperating with each other despite frequent political differences.
The first part of this research paper should be 5-7 pages and include a literature review of traditional and contemporary criminological theory.
This review will be a summary and analysis of selected academic journal articles, government reports, websites, and class book chapters related to that topic.
Popular magazines and articles will not be allowed unless previously approved by the professor. This literature review should focus on traditional criminological theory and on the most current criminological developments in the fight against contemporary crimes (past five to ten years).
Your research should specifically address why changes from traditional to contemporary criminological theories were necessary to address the needs of society in the Twenty-First Century.
The second part of the research paper should be completed in six-to-eight pages and address terrorism, drug and human trafficking. You should assess the importance these crimes have on the U.S. and illustrate the related human and economic cost.
The third part of the research paper should demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between historic and contemporary criminal trends and how they provide the foundation for Twenty-First Century criminal justice.