CJA 323 Complete Course

Week 1

. Individual Assignment: Crime Data Comparison Paper

Utilize the FBI Uniform Crime Report data and select one offense, such as burglary, in two metropolitan areas (cities). Choose metropolitan areas with different data.

Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper, comparing the occurrence of that offense in the selected areas. Identify the number of occurrences of your crime known to the police for each area, and answer the following questions:

Which area had more reported incidents?

What were the rates of the crime for each area?

Did the rates change over time in either area?

What factors might explain the differences in the rates?

Format your paper according to APA standards.

Discussion Questions

State the definition of crime favored by the course text. What are some criticisms of this definition? What types of behavior considered criminal under other definitions would not be criminal under this definition? What is the difference between criminality and deviance?

Consider the two perspectives on crime causation discussed in the text (the social problems perspective and the social responsibility perspective). Which do you support and why? How might adherence to one or the other perspective affect public policy on dealing with crime?

What are some criticisms of the accuracy and completeness of the FBIs Uniform Crime Report (UCR)? What advantage(s) does the Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) have over the UCR?

Week 2

. Individual Assignment: Prison Term Policy Recommendation Paper

Read the following: You are the criminologist advisor to a member of the state legislature. The legislature soon votes on a bill that would double the maximum prison term for anyone convicted of armed robbery. Your boss knows the bill is popular, but wonders if it will do much good. What recommendations do you make? What are the reasons for your recommendation?

Write a 1,400- to 2,100-word paper, addressing the scenario.

Format your paper according to APA standards.

Discussion Questions

Jeremy Bentham believed that humans naturally seek to maximize their pleasure and minimize their pain, so he advocated making punishment for crime that was sufficient to make the pain of the criminal activity outweigh the pleasure (or gain) derived from it. Do you agree with this theory? What are some criticisms of it?

Sociobiological theories of criminality state that a person becomes a criminal because of heredity, evolution, and/or physical factors such as the presence of certain hormones. What are some criticisms of these theories?

Do you think retribution is a valid justification for punishment? What differences might you see between punishments based on retribution and punishments based on deterrence?

Week 3

Learning Team Assignment: Neighborhood Watch Research Study Paper

Read the following: A small suburb of a large metropolitan area has implemented a neighborhood watch program. The mayor has asked you to determine if the program is having any effect on complaints received about suspicious behavior, deviant behavior, and crime.

Write a 1,750- to 2,800-word paper, addressing the scenario.

Structure your paper as a research study to answer the mayors concerns. Address the following elements:

Explain why you selected this design.

Choose one or more criminological theories that support neighborhood watch programs. Explain how the theory supports such programs.

Develop one or more hypotheses and operationalize the concepts.

Format your paper according to APA standards.

Discussion Questions

How might the presence of numerous broken windows in a neighborhood influence the level of crime in that neighborhood? Explain your answer.

Describe how an individual becomes a criminal according to the theories of Howard Becker. What role does society play in this process? Do you agree with this scenario? Why or why not?

According to studies of Laub and Sampson, what life events are especially important in reducing the likelihood that a person will commit crimes? Why do you think these events have this effect of reducing criminal behavior?

Week 4

Individual Assignment: Personal Application of Criminology Paper

Read the following: You are the parent of a 16-year-old boy. You come home and find the door ajar. Inside, you discover your sons friend looking in a kitchen drawer. He says he is trying to leave your son a note. On the counter next to him is a lock pick and some of your jewelry. The boy smells of marijuana. You tell the boy to leave immediately and he does. Do you call the police, call the boys parents, tell your son, or do something else?

Write a 1,400- to 2,100-word paper, explaining your response.

Format your paper according to APA standards.

Discussion Questions

What are some key recent changes to the Common Law approach to rape? How have these changes altered the way rape is defined, reported, and prosecuted?

What event in U.S. history helped make organized crime a major law enforcement concern? Explain how this happened.

Would the association between drugs and crime disappear if drugs were legalized? Explain your answer.

Week 5

Learning Team Assignment: Future Crime Scenario Paper

Read the following: A doctor has applied for a patent on new technology, involving the use of advanced computers to create a new type of organism. One goal is to genetically alter these organisms for use in human organ growth and transplant. The doctor says that, if she is not granted a patent, she will continue her research.

Write a 1,750- to 2,800-word paper, addressing the scenario.

Address the following questions in your paper:

Should the doctors activity be considered a violation of the law, a deviant act, or neither?

If this activity is a violation of the law or should be, how may it be stopped, especially if the doctor goes overseas?

Is the doctors research an abuse of technology?

Does such research have any victims?

Should those who develop new technology be required to have their innovations screened?

What other strategies may be used to allow society time to evaluate new technology before it is implemented?

Create a 10- to 15-slide Microsoft PowerPoint presentation to accompany the paper.

Format your paper and presentation according to APA standards.

Discussion Questions

Describe the current state of the law with regard to restricting access of children to online pornography. Has the Supreme Court ruled that such access cannot be regulated? If it can be regulated, how? What is your opinion in the matter?

Describe how cultural taboos prevent the implementation of policies that could be effective in eliminating or greatly reducing crime in the United States.

Explain how national boundaries can provide an advantage to todays criminals over law enforcement authorities. What can be done about this situation?