For this assignment you will first need to, locate, read and take notes on journal articles, books, and book chapters related to your crime control policy topic of investigation. Then in 3 to 5 pages, summarize what the research has taught us (what works, what doesnt work, and what is promising). This assignment is a first draft of the policy report section called Pre-Existing Policies, Policy Options, and Research. Although there is more than one what to go about structuring this section, I often recommend to students to summarize the research on what doesnt work first and then summarize the research on what does work. Doing it this way structures your argument nicely and leads logically to the next sections of the policy report: the Conclusion and the Recommendations sections. Note too, that the research in the required books for this class and the lectures can, and should, be used in your policy report. What I am looking for in the draft is that you are researching the evidence in favor of and against a specific criminal justice policy or practice in a thoughtful way. Again, it should be the scaffolding of the main body of your policy report (namely, the section called Pre-Existing Policies, Policy Options, and Research). The purpose of this draft (and the other draft assignment) is to help you with constructing a research-based policy report incrementally, a skill that will serve you now and in your future careers. The least successful way to write a research paper is to start at or very near the deadline. The best way to write it is to start your project early, and construct it over time, because it gives you the time to (a) think clearly about the topic; (b) fill gaps in your summary of research; and (c) make revisions. Also, in scaffolding draft #2, document your research in a formal way; namely, begin constructing your Reference page. For each research-based document you locate and summarize, document your source in a reference list according to APA style. The purpose of this is to aid you in keeping track of your sources that you will cite in the text, and how it should be correctly formatted. It will also show me that you are using a variety of sources, but primarily relying on journal articles, books, and book chapters. I may even recommend an article or two. Please use complete APA for citations and formatting. The sources have to be recent please. I also attaching my first part of the paper so you can see. Thank you
Hide
