Homework: Prison Overcrowding
Length: 4 to 6 pages.
Competencies Addressed in the Homework
Competency 1: Explain criminal justice concepts in application based settings.
Competency 2: Apply ethical principles and standards to criminal justice issues.
Competency 3: Analyze scholarly information and research findings through critical thinking to solve problems in criminal justice.
Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for criminal justice professionals.
Overview
Prison overcrowding is not just a problem for prison officials. Decisions made by law makers, police, and the courts have effects throughout the whole criminal justice system. The current overcrowding problem has been influenced by intentional decisions related to public policy, enforcement efforts, sentencing guidelines, funding, and many other criminal justice decisions. This homework will guide you to consider prison overcrowding from the perspective of a criminal justice professional.
Instructions
After you have watched the media scenario, Perspectives on Prison Overcrowding, place yourself in the role of one of the criminal justice professionals.
Follow the instructions bellow to complete first draft of a paper with two sections. Even though this homework is a draft, it is very important that you complete it to the best of your ability.
Use the Prison Overcrowding Template, linked in the Resources, to organize a 4-6 page paper that includes the following:
Section I: Perspectives
To demonstrate the grading criterion, "Analyze a criminal justice situation from a particular career perspective," view the prison overcrowding situation from the particular perspective of the criminal justice role you are most interested in, and address the following:
How did the character in your chosen role view the situation differently from the characters in other roles?
What more might the character in your role need to know to further identify problems?
What are the biggest challenges the character in your role faces in the prison overcrowding situation?
How might the character in your role prioritize proposed solutions differently than other roles (such as the need to uphold prisoners' rights and human dignity versus the need for public safety)?
Section II: Solutions
From the solutions in the media piece, Perspectives on Prison Overcrowding, choose three of the potential solutions to prison overcrowding that might have the most relevance to the character role you have chosen. Address the following:
To demonstrate the grading criterion, "Evaluate the viability of solutions to a criminal justice situation and their impact on a selected role":
Provide a brief analysis and summary of the solutions.
Explain why you chose these three solutions.
Assess how practical and beneficial each solution would be, and how it would affect your character's job. Identify challenges that your character will have in implementing the solutions. Be sure you explain the reasons behind each of your judgments.
To demonstrate the grading criterion, "Evaluate ethical considerations related to solutions for prison overcrowding," apply principles that you learned in Unit 5 to point out any that each solution might involve challenges, compromises, or dilemmas regarding fairness, justice, or what is right.
To demonstrate the grading criterion, "Communicate effectively in writing," write clearly, with correct spelling, grammar, syntax, and good organization, following APA guidelines. Use the resources in the Academic Skill Building study to assist you in organizing and formatting your homework.
To demonstrate the grading criterion, "Properly organize written content in APA format," include the following in your paper:
Format your homework 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 homework, 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.