Term Paper:   Students will complete a term paper... | Criminal

Research Requirement:

Students will complete a term paper of at least 15 pages double-spaced (not including title page, references, figures, illustrations, or other extraneous elements outside of the main body of the paper). This term paper should be a policy paper on a topic of your choice relative to this course. The goal of this paper is to offer a policy proposition for addressing a correctional issue (e.g., the death penalty, limiting access to criminal records, restoring the voting rights of convicted felons, use of inmate segregation, use of community corrections, corrections staffing, inmate violence, reintegration of released inmates, etc.). In the paper, you should provide research to support your position (it cannot be purely based on your opinion; you must find empirical support for your position). In the spirit of healthy debate, you should also present evidence relative to the weakness of your proposed policy and arguments that could be made to the contrary. You may feel free to adopt controversial policy positions as long as you are prepared to defend them and can find support for them in the literature. Students will format their paper using 12-point Times New Roman font and one-inch margins. Students will use at least 15 scholarly references (Wikipedia or blogs CANNOT be used as a reference). APA 7th Edition guidelines are to be followed. Your paper should be divided into the following sections: TOPIC: Restoring Voting Rights For Convicted Felons in The United States Introduction – Thesis statement – Roadmap of the paper Literature Review – Summarize the existing research on your selected correctional issue – Identify trends, gaps, and relevant findings – Identify and explain the criminological theory (or theories) that support your issue and policy direction – Explain how the theory helps frame the problem and informs your proposed solution Overview of Selected Correctional Issue – Clear explanation of the issue – Historical policies used to address it Proposed Correctional Policy – Description of the policy you are recommending – Justification for why it should be implemented Weaknesses and Strengths of the Proposed Policy This section of the paper will detail the proposed correctional policy's weaknesses and strengths. Conclusion (1-2 PARAGRAPHS LONG) Placing the literature review and theoretical framework in this location ensures your discussion is grounded in evidence and theory before you begin analyzing the issue and proposing your policy solution. *Note the main sections covered in the paper and include a restatement of your thesis statement.