Theoretical Perspectives of Crime

 

No directly quoted material may be used in this project paper.

Resources should be summarized or paraphrased with appropriate in-text and Resource page citations.

For this project you will write about a category of criminal activity you studied and found most compelling during the course of this class. In general, your assignment is to examine this criminal activity, its theoretical perspectives, and the underlying factors in an effort to explain the behavior and reduce recidivism in the future. Use your critical thinking and research skills to compose a paper that demonstrates what you have learned in this course.

Instructions:

Choose a category of crime from the range of criminal activities you studied this semester, such as terrorism, family violence, cybercrime, sexual assault, etc.

Select a specific individual that perpetrated this type of crime.

Begin with a brief (150 to 200 word) abstract, which is a comprehensive summary of the contents of your project.

Use your course materials and at least three (3) outside resources (not course instructional material) to support your work.

Write a concluding statement.

Project Outline

1.      Define and describe the category of crime, its characteristics, typical offenders, and the theoretical perspectives attributed to it.

2.      Identify and describe your chosen individual that perpetrated this type of crime.

3.      Explain the perpetrator/s background. For example:

        If an individual, explain where they were born, their family structure, the socioeconomic conditions, education, their life events that led up to the criminal act, etc.

4.      If you have identified a specific exemplary incident describe the crime. Explain what happened, when it happened, where it happened, the conditions that led up to the crime (s), what if any gain the perpetrator realized as a result of the crime etc.

5.      Explain the factors or predictors that may have influenced this criminal behavior such as, but not limited to:

        Risk factors

        Psychological disorders

        Mental illness

        Substance abuse

        Motivations

        Political ideologies

6.      Explain whether the offender(s) were able to follow through with the crime(s).

        If they were able to, how did they achieve it? Over what time period?

        If not, why not?

7.      Identify and describe the legal, corrective, and/or rehabilitative action that is appropriately directed to perpetrators of this criminal activity. Is there evidence (or do you believe) the punishment and or treatment programs can be effective in reducing recidivism?

8.      Describe and evaluate any associated outcomes/impact emanating from this criminal activity or specific incident, such as increased social awareness, change in policy or laws, negative backlash or unintended effects, etc.

9.      Concluding statement

 

Grading:

The evaluation of this project will focus on:

1. Your understanding and description of the crime category you selected.

2. Your comprehensive review of the example case.

3. Your analysis of the risk factors in the example case.

4. Overall quality of the composition.

5. Compliance with the format requirements.

 

Format:

1. A minimum of 2,500 words not including cover page and references page

2. The cover page should include the name and number of the course, the name of the student, title of the project and the date of submission.

3. The narrative composition is to be 12 pt. font, double spacing, with 1-inch margins

4. Resources, including course materials, must be cited both in the narrative where appropriate and on a separate references page, using APA citation rules.

5. Projects should be submitted using the Assignment Folder unless instructed otherwise.

6. At the instructor’s discretion, this project may be submitted to Turnitin or other services for verification of originality.