CRIM 102 COURSE PROJECT
PURPOSE:
To ensure that students understand the administration of criminal justice organizations from both a realistic and theoretical perspective, and that they can apply this knowledge to identify and examine real life problems in criminal justice management.
· Projects turned in must have a six page essay portion in addition to the questions/answers in the format discussed in class. Projects must be turned in via hard copy AND as an email attachment. Additional instructions will be discussed in class.
· Late projects will not be accepted after the final exam day. One letter grade will be deducted from projects turned in or/before the last day or instruction. Two letter grades will be deducted for projects turned in after that day, until the day of the final exam.
· All late projects must be submitted via e-mail. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that the project is properly emailed.
Only papers/projects determined to be extraordinary by the
instructor are eligible for an A grade. Simply meeting all of the basic
requirements does not result in an A grade.
All papers/projects turned in as a hard copy or late papers that are e-mailed,
will be graded on or before the last day of finals week. Students must retain a copy of their papers and/or assignments, and be able to re-submit them via email, in
the event that the original is lost, destroyed in a fire or collapsed building,
or otherwise missing in action.
All assignments/projects due on a particular date must be
fastened together as ONE document, with the student's ID number on each
page. There must be a cover page
containing the student's identification number, class title, and class time.
All essays/discussions must include a
specific reference to material in the textbook and at least two outside
references such as professional journals, research reports, articles in the
main stream print media, government reports, agency or
government websites, and similar documents or sources, unless otherwise stated.
Textbook information must
include the page number/s where it was found Projects/papers not following
these instructions cannot be given the grade of A.
Information from a dictionary is not considered an outside reference.
The complete document address (web) for all articles and other information obtained from the internet must be listed at the end of any written assignment/project and also referenced in the section of the written project containing the information from the internet. 50 points will be deducted from the project grade for not doing see. You MUST reference information sources within your essay as in a term paper. Direct quotes must be identified APA style. No more than 10% of the pages countable for your essays may consist of direct quotes (Not counting survey/interview responses). Reusing a sentence from a published source and simply changing or leaving out a few words is NOT acceptable.
Written assignments must be type-written/computer generated, double spaced, and in font no larger than 12 point Times New Roman. Poor spelling and grammar will result in a loss of points. The writing must be in regular lower and upper case letters. Papers written entirely in capital letters will NOT be accepted. Only writing based on your research will be counted towards the minimum page requirements. This will be further explained during class and you are responsible for the information even if you are not present.
Failure to meet format requirements not otherwise enumerated may result in the loss of additional points. You must also adhere to ALL requirements for emailing written work as described in this syllabus. IF YOU HAVE ANY DIFFICULTIES WITH THIS REQUIREMENT DUE TO THE TYPE OF SOURCE YOU ARE USING, PLEASE CONTACT THE INSTRUCTOR. It is important to begin your project as soon as it has been explained in class. If you have an emergency during the last two weeks before the due date, this will not change the consequences of any lateness. Any emergencies occurring at any time during the semester which impact your ability to complete the course in a timely fashion must be reported to the instructor expeditiously and via email only. Review the emailing requirements in this syllabus
The following topics are available for course
projects. You must select ONE and notify the instructor of your selection via
email. Changes will not be permitted after the 4th Week of Instruction
1. VICTIM SERVICES AGENCIES
Review, discuss, and compare the structure and operation of public and private
(non profit) Victim Services Organizations
You must select VS organizations within a state approved by the instructor
The report must, at least, include information on:
a. Statutory requirements for Victim Services?
b. Governmental levels providing VS?
c. Types of non-profit VS organizations?
d. Information on employment with public or private VS organizations in the
approved state.
e. The MISSION STATEMENT of the agency/organization
You must also summarize at least eight articles involving any VS organization,
VS function, or any VS related issue
2. PROBATION DEPARTMENTS
Review and discuss the operation and management of probation departments in a
state approved by the instructor.
You must obtain information involving at least three different probation
departments (to be explained in class)
Your report must include:
a. Number of probationers
b. Number of probation officers
c. Hiring standards for probation officers
(Sample standards may include minimum and maximum age, education, criminal
background restrictions, prior drug use restrictions, physical agility or
ability exams, standardized written entrance exams, polygraph exams,
psychological and physical exams and physical standards, U.S. citizenship,
etc.)
d. Peace Officer status of P.O. (Are they peace officers?)
e. Is probation a city/county/state function?
f. The
(Summarize at least eight different articles, news reports or research reports
relating to the probation function)
3. PAROLE AGENCIES
Review and discuss the operation and management of the assigned state's
parole agency.
Your report must include information on or answer the following questions:
a. Is parole a separate agency or is it combined with probation?
b. What is the state hierarchy above the parole agency (under Dept. of
Corrections? under a state parole authority? etc.)
c. Number of parolees statewide (separate from probationers if one agency
handles both)
d. Number of parole officers or parole/probation officers (if combined)
e. Hiring standards for parole officers or probation/parole officers
(Sample standards may include minimum and maximum age, education, criminal
background restrictions, prior drug use restrictions, physical agility or
ability exams, standardized written entrance exams, polygraph exams,
psychological and physical exams and physical standards, U.S. citizenship,
etc.)
f. Peace Officer status of Parole Officers (Are they peace officers-i.e. carry firearms and make arrests?)
g. Is parole only a state function?
h. The
(Summarize at least eight different articles, news reports or research reports
relating to the parole function)
4. FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
Review, describe, and discuss the structure of federal law enforcement, to include ALL
civilian federal law enforcement agencies. The review must include information
on:
a. Chain of command
b. Super ordinate agencies or departments (to be explained in class)
c. Size of agency (approximate)
d. Year agency was created or founded
e. Jurisdiction (statutory and geographic authority)
f. Administrative or management problems with any of the agencies/departments
(Summarize at least eight different articles, news reports or research reports
relating to federal law enforcement)
g. The MISSION STATEMENT of the agency/organization
h. Relate the results of your research to the textbook AND information
learned during lectures or other course readings/assignments
(Summarize at least eight different articles, news reports or research reports)
5. LAW ENFORCEMENT HIRING STANDARDS
a. Review the recommended hiring standards posted by the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training
b. List and discuss the individual standards utilizing information from the assigned text and also information from lecture and other course readings/assignments.
c. Review the state wide minimum hiring standards for a state approved by the instructor (to be explained in class)
d. Contrast and compare those standards with the IADLEST standards
e. Summarize four articles or reports involving Law Enforcement hiring standards (problems with or changes in)
(Sample standards may include minimum and maximum age, education, criminal background restrictions, prior drug use restrictions, physical agility or ability exams, standardized written entrance exams, polygraph exams, psychological and physical exams and physical standards, U.S. citizenship, etc.)
Narrative/discussion portions count towards the minimum page requirement.
Listing of information is also required but does not become part of the minimum
pages. This will be explained in class.
(Summarize at least eight different articles, news reports or research reports,
as it pertains or relates to hiring and training standards for police)
6. FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT MANAGEMENT
Read and summarize at least 8 articles (total) about problems or management
challenges within each of the following agencies::
a. The FBI
b. The
c. The US Secret Service
d. US Customs and Border Enforcement
Your essay must discuss the nature of the problem or challenge/s, the basis for
it, how the agency is responding to the problem or challenge, and relate what
you learned from the articles or government reports to relevant information in
the assigned text, and also from class lecture, or other course readings and
assignments.
7. RAILROAD POLICE (excluding AMTRAK Police)
Research the origin of Railroad Police Agencies, the extent to which they
exist in the
Your essay must also include a summary of at least eight articles involving
different aspects or incidents with RR police. You must also discuss the
management structure of any RR police in the
(Summarize at least eight different articles, news reports or research reports)