General Instructions
The task for this paper is to identify a specific theory of decision-making we have studied and discuss how that theory is specifically applied in the criminal justice system.
The paper should be at minimum, 12 – 15 pages (not including title page, outline, or references), double spaced, 1 inch margins (top, bottom, sides) and in 12 point standard Times New Roman style. Remember 12 pages is a minimum and will likely receive a minimum grade.
Citations and References
In writing the paper, you must use the American Psychological Association (APA) style for citations and references.
You must support your paper with references from scholarly peer reviewed academic journals, books, or studies. Your paper must include citations and references to a minimum of 6 scholarly peer reviewed journal articles, books, or studies. Course readings cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.
You may use the class readings as supporting materials as well as other materials such as newspaper or magazine articles. If you have any questions as to whether a reference is a scholarly peer reviewed work, please feel free to discuss it with me. At the time you give me your list of references when submitting your Interim Report, I will give you feedback as to whether or not you are using scholarly works. You may not use Wikipedia or any encyclopedia for any portion of this paper.
Failure to accurately and completely document the sources you use creates a risk of engaging in plagiarism. This paper will be submitted to Turn-it-In and any instances of plagiarism will result in sanctions associated with plagiarism.
Resources for APA Style Citations and References
The references and citations must be in the APA (American Psychological Association) style. The following are resources for you to use as you document your work using the APA style of references and citations:
http://nutsandbolts.washcoll.edu/apa.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
http://library.osu.edu/sites/guides/apagd.php
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/APAstyle.pdf
Citing Electronic Resources Using APA Style
Many of your sources will be of an electronic nature such as on-line journals and websites. The following link will help you with formatting your reference list in the appropriate APA Format. http://apastyle.apa.org/elecref.html
The LIST OF REFERENCES comes at the end of your paper and list all the references in alphabetical order. The following is an example of how your list of references should look:
http://dianahacker.com/pdfs/Hacker-Mira-APA-Ref.pdf
You may also use “Easybib”
Required Format for the Paper
You must use the following format and heading for this paper.
Title Page
Abstract
Table of Contents
Background/Introduction
Body of the report: Section Headings as identified below
Conclusion
I.Theory Identification
Identify the theory you plan to focus on, clearly define the theory and thoroughly describe the principles and concepts associated with that theory.
IMPORTANT
Describe whether this theory is a PRESCRIPTIVE or DESCRIPTIVE theory. EXPLAIN WHY.
II. Theory’s Application to Criminal Justice Decision Making: Effectiveness
Using scholarly peer reviewed literature, discuss this theory AS IT IS DESCRIBED in CRIMINAL JUSTICE literature. Discuss each segment that uses it (police, prosecutors, probation personnel, and etc.), why it is used, and its effectiveness for the organization and as applied to the criminal justice system as a whole.
III. Describe Problems Associated with the Application of this Theory
Discuss the problems associated with your theory as reflected in the course literature, include one of the following three:
Anecdotal examples
based on your first hand knowledge or
a discussion with someone from the criminal justice system
or examples from the web
and the additional research you have completed.
Grading
This paper is worth 100 points.
Here are the categories I score
Format: Did you follow the above format and is the report well organized
Content: Did your paper contain the described information
Evaluation/Critical Thinking: Did your paper contain an objective analysis based on your research
Grammar/Spelling: Is your report free of grammar and spelling errors