Drug courts
Your paper should have a separate Title page, and the following six (6) components. Each component needs to be subtitled in your paper:
Provide an overview of the paper – stating what follows in the pages to come.
A detailed description of the contemporary nature and extent of your topic (contemporary can incorporate the last few years, the last 5 years, the last 10 or 20 years – it is up to you). Possible topics include: our current jail/prison population – perhaps focusing on certain types of offenders – violent, property, or drugs; parole/probation population, individuals with mental health issues and the justice system; youth in prison, child abuse/neglect, domestic violence, juvenile offenders. The topic is very open – it is up to you!
You want to make sure you include information on the demographics of your population as well (e.g., girls in juvenile prison are disproportionately minority, from single-parent homes, have a history of abuse/neglect, trouble in school, etc, etc).
A critical analysis of your topic in relation to our social/criminal justice system. First, for your topic, explain the extent to which the criminal justice system focuses on imprisonment/institutionalization, community corrections, types of treatment programs, etc, etc. (e.g., – does the social/CJ system often put them in jail/prison? in treatment facilities? juvenile offenders in detention/prison? abused/neglected kids in foster care? institutions?).
Next, provide an analysis of the way the social/criminal system is working. Here you want your critical analysis to focus on the system in relation to at least 2 of the following theoretical perspectives: deterrence, just deserts, incapacitation, rehabilitation.
This part of the paper requires some extensive, creative, thinking on your part. Here you are evaluating the system as good/bad – or some combination of the two. What is the system doing right, according to the theoretical perspectives? What is it doing wrong?
*Here you can incorporate your future internship or desired future career. Why do you want to go into a certain field/profession? What is it that appeals to you about a certain field/profession? *
