Assignment:
Position Paper
Write an 8 to 10 page paper (excluding cover page and references) responding to the following:
Choose a controversial topic in the field of juvenile justice and write a position paper on the topic. Decide your stance (either pro or con) on the topic and provide research from scholarly journals to support your position. In addition, acknowledge the other side of the argument and provide a recommendation or a compromise between the two opposing parties. Strive to answer the question, "How can this controversy best be handled to successfully meet the basic ideology of juvenile court?"
Part A
In Part A of your position paper, evaluate the themes, trends, and model standards in the juvenile justice system as they relate to your topic.
In this section be sure to clearly identify and evaluate the key components of the issue and any notable trends related to this issue that are being practiced in various court systems (including those at the local, state, and federal levels). Also, identify and evaluate notable model standards of practice or judicial interpretation that are relevant.
Part B
In Part B of your position paper, evaluate policy, operations, procedures, and reform in the juvenile justice system. In this section build on the foundation you established in Part A by identifying and evaluating policies, operations, and procedure and reform measures that have been put into place to address the contemporary issue in juvenile justice. The evaluation should consider points such as effectiveness of the policies, operations and procedures, costs to the system, and constituent populations (juveniles, society, etc.), sustainability, and any other points you find relevant.
In this section you should also provide recommendations for how to bridge the different sides of the debate and handle the controversy within the existing ideological framework of the court.