Preparation
Select 1 criminal justice program or policy to research and assess. Example topics include:
Police funding
Police body cameras
Social workers/mental health professionals versus police
No bail policy/bail reform
Preventive detention of suspects
Early-release programs
Recidivism programs
Crime prevention
Red flag law
Victim/witness advocacy
Court interpreter programs
Research 1 criminal case related to your selected criminal justice program or policy.
Assessment Deliverable
Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word assessment of the effectiveness of your selected criminal justice program or policy. The analysis will be included in a report to a legislative committee in your state. The committee members are interested in learning the challenges and benefits of the program/policy.
Use the following headings and prompts below to guide your thinking and the information you include in your analysis:
Criminal Justice Program/Policy Overview
Summarize your selected criminal justice program/policy. Include the following components:
What criminal justice agency or subdomain (i.e., law enforcement, courts, corrections) is affiliated with the program/policy?
What is the rationale behind the selected criminal justice program/policy?
What are the intended outcomes for the selected criminal justice program/policy?
What are some benefits of the program/policy?
How does the selected criminal justice program/policy reduce or manage risks in criminal justice contexts?
How does the selected criminal justice program/policy solve a problem related to criminal justice?
Criminal Case Analysis
Describe a criminal case that illustrates either intended or unintended outcomes of the criminal justice program/policy. Consider the following guiding questions:
What were the events of the criminal case? What was the problem that needed to be addressed?
What agencies were involved in the criminal case? What role did criminal justice professionals play?
Did criminal justice professionals assess or manage risk in the criminal case? Why or why not?
Did criminal justice professionals use RCA to solve a problem(s)? Why or why not?
How was the criminal case resolved?
Program/Policy Assessment
Analyze the effectiveness of the corrective and/or preventative approaches of the criminal justice program/policy in relation to the criminal case you described. Consider the following guiding questions:
Did the outcome(s) of the criminal case and the actions of the criminal justice professionals align with the intended goals of the program or policy?
If yes, explain how the outcomes support corrective and/or preventative goals of the program/policy. Include details about strategies criminal justice professionals used to produce a successful outcome.
If no, identify key problems with the corrective and/or preventative goals of the policy/program and recommend 1 or 2 changes that could improve outcomes in the future.
Cite at least 3 scholarly sources, in addition to the textbook, to support your analysis.
Format your summary according to APA guidelines.