Assignment:
Before you write your issue statement, you should spend some time thinking about the answers to the following questions:
1. Whom does the problem affect (e.g., specific people, communities, agencies)? In this example, it affects sexual assault victims.
2. What does the problem affect (e.g., what is its impact)? In this example, it affects the victims' willingness to report assaults.
3. When does the problem occur (e.g., at what time, during what processes)? In this example, it occurs when the victims report assaults and as they move through the legal process. Specifically, victims could be asked to repeat their stories several times to different people. Also, they might not be told what to expect from the system, might not be kept apprised of how their case is progressing, and might not be told why certain decisions are made.
4. Where is it a problem (e.g., only in certain places, instances)? In this example, it is a problem in hospitals, other medical facilities, police stations, and courts.
5. Why is it a problem (e.g., What are the consequences, and why is it important that we fix it?)? In this example, it is a problem because it may make victims feel retraumatized. It also may make them less willing to report a crime and less willing to help with their own cases.
Note! When you write your issue statement, you should also try to include some statistics (national, state, or local) that can help further illustrate the scope of the problem.
The final part of your problem statement is your solution statement. This section will be a few sentences that describe how you think the problem can be resolved. As with the previous sections, you should think about various solutions to your problem before you draft the solution statement. For example, you could discuss a new policy or practice, or suggest a new intervention that could be created to resolve the problem.
Example:
You have concluded that a way to resolve the problems sexual assault victims encounter when they report an assault is to provide them with a professional who will help them (a victim's advocate). The advocate would be assigned to a victim when he or she first reports the crime and would.