1. For this class, you are to write a research paper. It is strongly suggested that you put a great deal of time into this as it is very important that you submit a paper that is detailed, informative, and professional in appearance. Please do not use any previous papers as the assignment will be submitted to the college’s research paper data bank for previously viewed or purchased papers in the U.S. Review more information under the Scholastic Dishonesty link in the menu. This should be your work and your work alone; that is what college is about. The experience and knowledge you gain will be invaluable. Remember, it is 80 points of your grade.

Your paper should be a total of not less than 5 pages in length. Out of that 5 page paper, the first and last page should be the only pages that are not text written. Illustrations and photos do not count as a page. A chart may not be counted for more than half of a page. This paper must be written in MLA (Modern Language Association) format.

Page 1 should be your title page. It should have the following:

• Paper Title
• Class information:
  • Criminal Investigation
  • the the semester designations, example: Spring 2015
  • the name of the instructor
• Date submitted
• YOUR full name
• Email Address
• The TEXT should be 12 pitch, Time Roman or Times Roman Bold
• You should type the page, double spacing the lines. Do not single space the paper.

Your Main Content

• Use College Style writing with the one exception – you do not have to use footnotes.

The final page of the paper should be your Bibliography (MLA):

• It should show the sources, titles, authors, or if Internet information, the URL that can be verified…and again, the title, author etc. You should have at least three (3) sources with one being computer based. It is acceptable to use all computer. Do not use the text book as one of your resources.

The paper should be uploaded via the assignment link below.

This is an easy way to help your grades along. Research papers do not have to be difficult unless you wait until the last minute….there are 2 months to do this in…get started NOW….and you won’t sweat the deadline…

Submit the paper when complete. The due date for this paper is by the end of Lesson 7. If it is not completed prior to the end of the term, you will lose one grade level on the paper.

Be sure to read and understand the information about Scholastic Dishonesty, which is located in the course menu (blue column on the left). Every paper that is submitted is run against a database of books, articles, internet information, and other student papers from all over the U.S. and other sources. The instructor will see a percent of matches to other work, so do not cut and paste your whole paper as it will show when graded. Give credit where an author is quoted.

Please do not write your paper by cut and paste. The SafeAssign database will show the percent that you have copied, and if it is high, it will be obvious that it is the work of someone else who has published or submitted a paper that is in the system.

You only need to pick one topic for your paper. Do not attempt to write one paper with all the these topics.

TOPICS:

• Wrongful death investigation in America
• Specialized investigative expertise versus general investigative expertise. (As an example, an auto theft unit that only works auto theft versus general detectives that work auto theft, homicide, and rape)
• Photography in modern criminal investigation
• Military shift to law enforcement work and law enforcement shift to military work
• Training in the 21st century for police officers (legal, ethical, physical, and mental)
• Use of computers in the modern investigative process on serial killers
• The “CSI effect” and how it impacts a jury and prosecutors preparing a case
• Serial killers in modern American society
• High speed pursuit: pros and cons.

2. Every state has addressed the registration and/or publication of convicted sex offenders returned to parole or probation supervision.  Your research assignment is to select a state from which you will complete an internet search.  You are to give an overview of your chosen states laws that impact the sex offender registration requirement and publication of residence information, if any.    Your response should cover topics, which include, but are not limited to:

1. State regulations that are specific to registration of the sex offender.
2. Procedural guidelines related to the implementation of the registration/publication program (how long do they have to register? Who pays for registration/publication? etc.)
3. What are the penalties for noncompliance?
4. Are there Constitutional challenges?
5. What are the constitutional concerns?

Give your opinion as to your belief that the legislation regulating sex offender registration/publication is or is not Constitutional. Use topic listing 1-5 as your topic headings. Cite your internet resources. The value of this project is up to 80 points. To avoid late penalty, this project is to be completed one week prior to end course date and submitted via email directly to your instructor.