Assignemnt: Criminal Justice Policy
Questions:
1. Mears argues that the US is at a crossroads with regard to criminal justice policy. Describe this situation by discussing his notion of "irrational criminal justice policy." Ensure that you include evidence to support this position.Describe in detail at least four of the eight influencers of policy that Mears discusses. Provide specific examples to illustrate your understanding of these concepts.
2. Describe in detail the relationship between a needs evaluation and a theory evaluation. Your answer should first defineand explain each concept in detail, including the goals and primary strategies associated with needs and theory evaluations. Then discuss how these evaluations are interdependent.
3. The most commonly discussed elements of policy evaluation are the implementation and outcome/impact components. Address the following in detail and use an example of a specific policy to demonstrate your understanding of the concepts (do not use the same policy you are using for your paper):
a. What is an implementation evaluation?
b. Describe and distinguish between outcome and impact evaluations. (Hint: this will require a discussion of research design).
4. Mears outlines several strategies to improve criminal justice policy. Describethe fivemost promising strategies and discuss how these strategies would assist in improving policy.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.
Text Book: American Criminal Justice Policy- An Evaluation Approach to Increasing Accountability and Effectiveness by Daniel P. Mears.