Category: Criminal Justice

This written assignment consists of four essay questions. Remember that up-to-date studies, statistics, and case examples add depth to your writing. Direct quotes are not permitted.

Essay Exam Question Guidelines

Essays should be a minimum of 500 words excluding references.

A minimum of 2 peer reviewed, up to date, scholarly sources are required. If you are not sure what is considered peer reviewed, see the announcement page.

APA format is required. The APA helpful tools document I created (see announcement page) is a quick reference that will benefit you tremendously.

Finally, I suggest writing your answers in Microsoft Word and then copying into the exam just in case something happens to your submission.

1. Explain the role of a fusion center in the day-to-day operations of a large metropolitan police agency. Do you think that fusion centers would be very helpful to smaller agencies as well? Why or why not?
2. As a police chief using Hertzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory, what types of motivators would you use to improve officers’ productivity?
3. If you were a police administrator, what do you believe would be a reasonable span of management? In other words, how many subordinates do you believe you could effectively supervise and why?
4. With Equity, Diversion, and Equality (EDI) in mind, if you were the police department’s captain in charge of recruiting new officers while you city is having difficult economic times. What actions would you take to ensure there is a diverse, well-qualified pool of applicants?

Explain how criminology research has produced scientific findings that are used by policymakers to make informed decisions. The purpose of this assignment is for each student to demonstrate original critical thinking on criminology research, the published scholarly literature, and how criminology academic research is being used by policymakers to make informed decisions.

Students will write a scholarly paper that is a minimum of 10 pages in length (10 pages excluding the title page, abstract, and reference page). The paper is required to be in the most current edition of APA format.

References may be found in the APUS library or search engines such as Google Scholar. The paper must include at least five, peer-reviewed sources. Keep in mind that 5 is the minimum. A good quality research paper usually contains in excess of 10. Sources should be less than 10 years old and if using statistical data, it should be less than 5 years old. Do not forget to use in text citations to credit your sources.

Note that references used for your research need to be peer-reviewed/scholarly journals. These journals typically have the following characteristics:

1. articles are reviewed by a panel of experts before they are accepted for publication;
2. articles are written by a scholar or specialist in the field;
3. articles report on original research or experimentation;
4. are often published by professional associations;
5. utilize terminology associated with the discipline.

Use of newspapers, news magazines, and similar periodicals must be kept to a minimum, and will be acceptable only as sources for supplementary information. If you are not sure what is considered a peer reviewed source, view the announcement page for assistance.

References like “Wikipedia,” “Psychology Today,” and “Court TV” are not primary sources, are not peer reviewed (reviewed for empirical integrity, accuracy, and authenticity), and are not appropriate references for scholarly writing (with the possible exception of use for anecdotal background information).

The paper should be of high quality, free of spelling and grammatical errors, and the student’s original work. Limit Direct quotes.

Papers are automatically submitted through Turnitin.com and an originality score generated upon submission.

Final Paper: Your final project must be on one of the following topics:

Opinion Paper on the Legalization of Recreational Marijuana

History and Development of U.S. Drug Policy

Ethical Implications of U.S. Drug Policy.

The Origin and Development of the “Poppy”

Violence Associated with Illegal Narcotics

Mexican Drug Cartels

Protecting the Homeland: U.S. Narcotics Policy

The final project will include a minimum of 15-17 pages of content excluding the cover page, abstract, table of contents, any and all quotes, images, charts, pictures, and reference section.

the “most recent edition of the APA manual” must be followed with the formulation of the paper. Double spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pitch, with 1″ margins all around. The use of larger fonts, more than just double spacing, or larger than 1″ margins will result in significant penalties

The final project is to be written in an academic tone. You are not to write in the first person. Instead, you need to use the third person. Remember, an academic paper is not to be written like you are having a casual conversation with your friends. Do not include slang or foul language unless you are quoting someone.

The final paper needs to include an examination of current research on the particular problem you choose to examine and it needs to include the student’s careful and informed analysis of the issue.

Course Objective(s):

CO7: Examine the fight against violence and terror on the Southwest Border of the United States as a result of cartels and narcotics kingpins

CO8: Examine U.S. Drug Policy

Module Objectives:

MO1: Assess the success and or failure of U.S. Drug Policy

MO2: Appraise the level of violence associated with Mexican Drug Cartels and the Illegal Narcotics trade

Your response should be between 500-750 words, cited and referenced in accordance with APA 7th Edition Publication Manual format.

Course Objective(s):

CO4: Trace the origin, history, and cultivation of the Coca Leaf

CO5: Examine how and why the Coca Leaf developed from a cultural product to an illicit drug

Module Objectives:

MO1: Conclude the origin and history of the Coca Leaf

MO2: Examine the cultivation of the Coca Leaf

MO3: Assess the socio-economic impact that the poppy had and continues to have in the U.S. and around the globe

MO4: Appraise the role that Western Powers played in the proliferation of opium and heroin from the 5th Century (early Middle Ages) through World War II

MO5: Estimate the worldwide flow of Afghan opiates, as well as the current state of the global opiate market.

The probationary period and field training program (FTO) are essential in transitioning recruits from the academy to real-world policing. They ensure officers can apply their training effectively, adapt to the demands of the job, and meet agency standards before gaining full certification. In this assignment please provide in detail, your vision of what the probationary and field training process should look like in law enforcement. I would like you to provide me with the different phases of your field training program as well as what your policy would look like for the probationary officer.

Your weekly written assignment is due no later than Sunday at 11:59 pm. Your weekly paper should be a minimum of 300- 500 words. All references and citations in this course must be in APA format (7th edition). The link below offers guidance for writing in APA 7:

Parole Board Guidelines are structured frameworks or criteria used by parole boards to assess whether an incarcerated individual should be granted parole. In this week’s written assignment please detail your understanding of Parole Board Guidelines.

The below links will assist you in your research, reading, and writings for this assignment.

Your weekly written assignment is due no later than Sunday at 11:59 pm. Your weekly paper should be a minimum of 300- 500 words. All references and citations in this course must be in APA format (7th edition). The link below offers guidance for writing in APA 7:

Topic (500 words max is strictly enforced with 5% penalty):

The interpretation of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights is constantly changing and subject to debate. Imagine you were a police leader in 1966, following the controversial Miranda v. Arizona decision that potentially could have let a violent kidnapper and rapist go free, and required officers to explicitly warn all arrestees of their rights before a custodial interrogation. Predictably, many in law enforcement thought that the new procedural requirement under Miranda would hamstring law enforcement, make it much harder to protect communities, and hinder efforts to gather evidence needed to successfully prosecute dangerous criminals. Still, despite these concerns, it became the law of the land.

The necessary law enforcement procedural changes resulting from court decisions interpreting Constitutional rights and protections, along with the passage of new laws, many of which limit law enforcements ability to protect communities, offer valuable opportunities for law enforcement leaders to lead. These times of change, uncertainty, and potential frustration within law enforcement present exceptional chances for leaders to positively influence the people they lead and the profession as a whole.

For this assignment, step back in time to 1966 and assume a law enforcement leadership role. Prepare a memorandum to your personnel explaining the Miranda v. Arizona decision and how it aligns with law enforcements oath to support and defend the Constitution. This memorandum is a chance for you as a leader to influence your team’s attitudes and perceptions as they work to protect the community. The memorandum should cover the case, the courts reasoning for the decision, how the decision reinforces Constitutional rights and protections, and how your team can adopt the new procedures while continuing to be effective law enforcement professionals.

Your memo should be no longer than 500 words, double-spaced with 12-point standard fonts and one-inch margins. You will be graded down if your memo is over 500 words.

Include at least 3 of the following references (you can find one other one of your choosing):

Grading Rubric:

Summary of Miranda v. Arizona case and related constitutional protections 25%

Memo provides a clear, accurate, and concise summary of the Miranda v. Arizona case and the constitutional protections and rights upheld by the decision.

Reinforcement and alignment of the court decision with the oath of office 25%

Strong reinforcement of the court decision and a powerful resonance of the higher purpose, duty, or meaning of the oath.

Positive message regarding effectiveness and new procedures 25%

Memo strongly resonates a positive message regarding the adoption of new constitutional policing procedures and law enforcement effectiveness in protecting the community.

General writing quality and execution 25%

The writing is polished, clear, effective, professional, and communicative.

For this discussion, you will review the uploaded sources related to jail reform and pretrial detention in New York City, San Francisco, and New Orleans. These cities were selected because they have implemented policy changes and operational reforms aimed at reducing jail overcrowding, which is the primary criminal justice issue identified in this project. The purpose of this discussion is to compare the strategies used in these cities to the overcrowding and understaffing issues currently affecting Wokefield County Jail in Memphis, Tennessee. Each of the selected case studies highlights best practices that other jurisdictions have used to reduce pretrial detention, improve court processing, and manage jail populations more effectively. In your response, address the following: Summarize the key reform strategies used in New York City, San Francisco, and New Orleans to reduce jail overcrowding. Identify the types of research methodologies used in these articles (for example, policy evaluation, quantitative analysis, or program evaluation). Explain whether these research methods could be applied to your proposed research on Wokefield County Jail, and why or why not. Discuss how using multiple cities and different types of research helps you remain unbiased when analyzing solutions to jail overcrowding. Your discussion should demonstrate how real-world case studies from other jurisdictions can inform potential strategies for addressing overcrowding in Memphis while maintaining a balanced and evidence-based perspective.