Assignment:
For your Final Project, you will examine three case scenarios from the e-book provided for this course, in which each case scenario represents a different type of offender (i.e., mentally disordered offender, sex offender, violent offender, family violence offender, female offender, white-collar criminal, cyber criminal, or terrorist). You will apply a specific theoretical approach to the criminal behaviors displayed in each case. You also will analyze the degree to which developmental risk factors and correlates of criminal behavior influence the criminal behavior that the offender exhibits. Finally, you will evaluate whether or not the offender in each case scenario is a criminal.
Note: Although assessment is an integral step in the tasks you complete in this Final Project, for the purposes of this course and Final Project, you will not assess the offenders in the case scenarios you select.
Your Final Project shall be presented as follows:
• A 10 to 12 page (not including references, title page, or abstract), double-spaced, APA-formatted paper that is submitted to the Week 10 Assignment Turnitin link.
The Final Project must include the following:
• A minimum of seven references (in addition to any course readings that you may wish to reference). Be aware that user-created websites such as Wikipedia will not be accepted as scholarly references. (Please consult the Walden University Library's instructions for evaluating research resources, which includes a link to criteria for evaluating resources.)
• A brief description of each of the three case scenarios you selected
• A description of each of the criminal behaviors exhibited by the offender in each case scenario
• An analysis of how you might apply a specific biological, psychological, or sociological theory or approach to understanding and explaining each of the criminal behaviors. Be sure to select a different theory or approach for each behavior you discuss.
• A description of the correlates and developmental risk factors that influence the specific criminal behaviors
• An analysis of how each correlate and developmental risk factor influences the specific criminal behaviors
• An answer to the question "Is this person a criminal?" with an analysis of why or why not