Category: Criminal justice

Sixteen states and the federal government abolished discretionary parole release from prison in favor of mandatory parole. Another four states abolished it for certain violent offenses or other crimes against a person. Proponents of discretionary parole release argue that abandonment of discretionary parole has a detrimental effect. They believe that parole serves a beneficial purpose by requiring inmates to focus their efforts on successful reentry from prison to the community or risk revocation and possible reincarceration. They argue that without the prospect of discretionary parole, inmates have fewer incentives for cognitive transformation and, in turn, opportunities for work, reuniting with families, and finding housing.
Research and include the following in your paper:
· What advantages and disadvantages would you see in abolishing discretionary parole in favor of mandatory parole? Explain. · If you were a state legislator, what advantages and disadvantages would you see in abolishing discretionary parole in favor of mandatory parole? Explain. Your paper should be submitted in a Word document and include proper incorporation of APA 6th edition format (title page, in-text citations, and a reference page). Your paper should be between 2-3 pages in length and should use 12-point, Times New Roman font.

Title: Exploring the Reasons Why Young People Join Gangs
Objective: To analyze and understand the factors that contribute to young people joining gangs.
Instructions:
1.    Research and gather information on the various reasons why young people may choose to join gangs. Consider factors such as social influences, economic circumstances, family dynamics, peer pressure, and personal motivations.
2.    Write an essay discussing at least three primary reasons why young individuals may be drawn to join gangs.
3.    Support your arguments with credible sources and real-life examples where applicable.
4.    Provide a thoughtful analysis of the consequences and impact of gang involvement on individuals, families, and communities.
5.    Include suggestions or strategies on how to address the underlying issues that lead young people to join gangs, promoting positive alternatives and community support.
Essay Guidelines:
•    Length: 500 -800 words
•    Structure: Introduction, body paragraphs (each addressing a specific reason), conclusion
•    Use of research: Incorporate data, statistics, case studies, and expert opinions to strengthen your arguments.
•    Critical thinking: Analyze the complexities of gang involvement, considering both individual choices and societal influences.
•    Clarity and coherence: Ensure your essay is well-organized, coherent, and presents a clear thesis statement.
•    Citations: Use proper citation format (e.g., APA, MLA) for all sources referenced in your essay.
Evaluation Criteria:
•    Depth of analysis: Thorough exploration of reasons for gang involvement.
•    Evidence and support: Use of relevant and credible sources to support arguments.
•    Critical thinking: Insightful analysis and discussion of consequences and solutions.
•    Clarity and organization: Clear structure, coherent arguments, and well-developed ideas.
•    Writing mechanics: Proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, and citation format.

6 pages for the final paper and 10 lengthy paragraphs for the journals each paragraph would be for each week.

This is a Film Respinse essay that needs to be 2-3 pages, not including the title page and work cited page. The film options are below. In your response get personal, my professor likes opinionated responses! 

must use 3 scholarly articles and cite them APA style. must complete a annotated bibliography of the 3 references used.

Firearms, Explosives Arson – Stephen
1. How are spent casings recovered from a crime scene examined? Do they possess individual or class characteristics?
First, let’s explain what casings are before discussing gathering evidence of a crime scene. In order to understand firearms, we must first understand what casings are and how they are related to firearms. Casings are the part of ammunition that you see on the actual bullet itself. The casing is what holds and binds the bullet together until it is fired out of a weapon or disassembled. Within the casing, you will find multiple chemicals that will be necessary to make a firearm operation. You will find things such as primer, gunpowder, and the bullet (9 mm, 5.56 mm, 7.56mm, etc.) depending on what type of firearm is utilized. Once the firing pin hits the back of the case shell within the firearm, the primer that is located within the casing is the spark that sets off the gunpowder in a firearm that will set the bullet in a particular direction/trajectory. Gunpowder itself is what causes the bullet or pellets to travel on its “trajectory”.
In general, when a firearm fires a bullet, the case shell in which the bullet is fired is dispatched onto the ground. In other words, for example, another term that is used is called “brass”, which contains nothing but the outer shell of ammunition. The dispatched “brass” or “casing” can be recovered in the area in which the firearm was used. Unless recovered by the user, the casing is what will be left behind. When an officer recovers a casing, he/she can determine what type of firearm was being used when the user fired the weapon. It is all measured or may have a specific identification number to determine what type of bullet is used, like a 9 mm casing shell. They will be able to narrow down as to what type of hand firearm was used specifically for that 9 mm casing shell.
2. Describe methods utilized at a crime scene to detect accelerants and explosive material.
Regarding explosive material, explosives should be handled by certified professionals who are trained by explosive technicians. These certified personnel are trained to detect specific components that make the blueprint of an explosive device. When an explosive ignites, it leaves behind debris from what made the bomb functional. Law enforcement will collect what is left behind and return it to their lab for further testing. Accelerants are the material that aids in spreading fire. Normally, accelerants are collected based on the debris that is left from the built explosive device.
Reference
What are the Basic Parts of Ammunition. Berry’s, Posted in Blogs. July 28, 2022. https://www.berrysmfg.com/blog/what-are-the-basic-parts-of-ammunition#:~:text=The%20casing%20is%20what%20holds,are%20created%20using%20polymer%20plastics.
Firearms forensics. David Spraggs. February 2010. https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/docs/020110-police-magazine-firearms-forensicspdf/download
Evidence Collection and Laboratory Analysis. Inter Fire Online. Copyright © 2024 All Rights Reserved. https://www.interfire.org/res_file/lab.asp

Last week, you evaluated on-scene analysis and documentation. This week, the focus will shift to the scientific processes accomplished within the crime laboratory. In addition to the scientific processes, it is important to understand the standards applied to determine if the scientific process and its results can or should be admitted at trial. While science uses the peer review process to evaluate credibility, the courts also use case law to evaluate the standards for forensic science.
Prior to beginning work on this assignment, please review the following:
From the text:
Chapter 5: Forensic Toxicology
Chapter10: Blood and Other Biological Fluids
Chapter 11: DNA Analysis
The articles:
Surrogate Testimony After Williams: A New Answer to the Question of Who May Testify Regarding the Contents of a Laboratory Report
What Happens If Autopsy Reports Are Found Testimonial?: The Next Steps to Ensure the Admissibility of These Critical Documents in Criminal Trials
To Analyse a Trace or Not? Evaluating the Decision-Making Process in the Criminal Investigation
Examining the Role of Science in the Courtroom: Admissibility and Reliability of Forensic Science in the Courtroom
Testing the Testimonial Doctrine: The impact of Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts on State-level Criminal Prosecutions an Procedure
The e-book Forensic Science Evidence: Can the Law Keep up with Science?
From the video Forensic Science in Action: From Crime Scene to Courtroom: Segment 6. Forensics: Examination of the Victim 03:25
The video Duties of a Forensic Scientist in the Forensic Biology Lab shown above.
You must use at least three Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources in addition to the course text.
You are also strongly encouraged to review the recommended sources, which may further support this assignment.
In your paper, address the following:
Evaluate the evolution of forensic science, focusing on the types of scientific analysis conducted in crime laboratories.
Explain how the changes in science and evidence processing over the last century have affected the criminal justice system.
Describe at least four major types of scientific testing conducted by crime laboratories.
Describe the evidentiary value of the four major testing processes identified.
Analyze the current standards (based on case law) for admitting scientific evidence at trial, specifically addressing the four types of scientific testing identified in your paper.
The Science of Evidence paper
Must be 750 words in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft Word resource.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Name of the school
Date submitted
Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice resource for additional guidance.
Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions as well as Writing a Thesis Statement, refer to the Writing Center resources.
Must use at least three scholarly, peer-reviewed, and/or credible sources in addition to the course text.
The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view The University of Arizona Global Campus Library Quick ‘n’ Dirty tutorial, which introduces the University of Arizona Global Campus Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your Paper guide.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the APA: Formatting Your References List resource in the Writing Center for specifications.

CJ 204-CRIMINOLOGY
READING ASSIGNMENT #14==CHAPTER 14 • CRIMES OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM: CYBERCRIME AND TRANSNATIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME
Assignment Type: turnitin.com via Canvas
Possible Points: 50 (Points are based on similarity report generated through Turnitin.com.)
Writing Activities: Please, in your own words (at least 300 FOR
EACH QUESTION), write an essay addressing two of the five Critical
Thinking Questions. Please label your answers by putting
the question above each. Do not combine your answers; each question
should be answered individually (again, 300 words or more). Responses
must be submitted via Canvas using the submission button located right
beneath the assignment. You cannot receive more than a 15% similarity
report. PUT YOUR NAME AND G-NUMBER ON THE ASSIGNMENT. PLEASE USE THE
INFORMATION FROM YOUR TEXT FOR YOUR ESSAYS. If assignments are not
completed in this manner, you will receive a “ZERO”.
1. Which theory or theories of criminal behavior best explain the
actions of cybercriminals and cybercrime? Please justify your answer.
2. How would you punish a web page defacer who placed an antiwar message on a government site? Prison? Fine? Justify your answer
3. What guidelines would you recommend for law enforcement agencies to control the sale of illegal goods using the internet?
4. Are we creating a “Big Brother” society and is the loss of
personal privacy worth the price of safety, justify your answer.

PART 1: SPSS Questions
Note: For all the following
questions, assume that the DV is normally distributed.
Q1. You want to assess whether
self-acceptance scores (variable tsa) vary according to personality types.
State null and alternative hypotheses.
Carry out the test. Is the homogeneity of variance
assumption fulfilled?
Report and interpret the results.
Report post-hoc tests if relevant.
Q2. You want to assess whether
self-control scores (variable tsc) vary according to personality types.
State null and alternative hypotheses.
Carry out the test. Is the homogeneity of variance
assumption fulfilled?
Report and interpret the results.
Report post-hoc tests if relevant.
Q3. You want to assess whether empathy
scores (variable tem) vary according to personality types.
State null and alternative hypotheses.
Carry out the test. Is the homogeneity of variance
assumption fulfilled?
Report and interpret the results.
Report post-hoc tests if relevant.
PART 2: Non-SPSS Questions
Q4. If
between-group differences are larger than within-group differences, then the
F-ratio is likely to be higher, thus results are more likely to be
statistically significant. True or false?
Q5. In ANOVA,
what approximate value can we expect to obtain for the F-ratio when the null
hypothesis is true? Explain your answer.
Q6. You
conduct an ANOVA, and get p = .07 for the Levene test. Does this mean that you
reject or accept the null hypothesis for the homogeneity of variance postulate?
Explain more specifically what this result means.

The overall goal of the final project is for you to teach your future self, or your grandchildren about the issues of race, crime, and justice explicitly using the theories and knowledge gained from the course. You should also reflect on how the issues we have discussed this semester will impact your career.
Your job is to reflect on the history of issues of race and crime, and how policies and practices, as taught in this class and through your readings have impacted the many lives of people impacted by the criminal legal system, those incarcerated, as well those outside prison walls and overall, as a society.
This is to help me assess your own understanding of the course concepts; whether and how you interpret and assess information from a variety of sources and points of view; evaluate evidence and arguments critically.
The fact that you’re addressing your future self and your grandchildren is to encourage you to reflect on your own thinking, your positionality within the issues, and also the solutions to the problems we’re facing as a society. You are educating your future self (or grandchildren) about how far we have to go to improve race relations as it pertains to the criminal justice system.
There are some requirements; you are writing an essay, well-researched, reflective, and a critical analysis of yourself and a loved one.
Requirement:
Reflect on your racial identity and the concept of intersectionality from the first part of the semester (project #1)
Reflect on your future career
Use at least four theories, philosophies, law cases, definitions, and concepts from the course materials. You must refer to what we learned in class (mark them in bold).
Use at least five peer-reviewed academic journal articles (the textbook does not count as one). I will post a how-to-find academic article description on iLearn.
You can use governmental and NGO reports.
You cannot use Wikipedia
Citation style: APA or MLA