Assignment: Federal Consent Decrees
Background: In criminal justice, process and procedure are important. If proper discretion is not used, lives are affected and departments within criminal justice, like the police, are affected as well. If improper discretion is used at any point during the process, there are consequences, and one of those consequences is the use of a federal consent decree to hold those in criminal justice accountable. It requires departments to reform for the good of the department and the communities they serve. These decrees require all individuals in a given department to examine themselves, particularly their processes, procedures, and, in many cases, ethical standards. Examples provided in Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice illustrate the importance you must place on procedural justice as an employee in criminal justice.
Write a 800 to 1,050 words paper that defends your opinion regarding the following questions:
1) What is procedural justice and federal consent decree? Give examples of their use in current policing, such as use of force policies, in major cities like Los Angeles and smaller cities like Ferguson, Missouri.
2) Do federal consent decrees impact the principle of procedural justice positively or negatively? Include reasoning and examples to support your opinion in your explanation.
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.