Policy Brief

Write a policy brief on one of the critical issues in the criminal justice system the issue i choose is sex crimes and sex offenders. You are to choose your own topic. Your brief should (a) introduce the critical issue; (b) discuss what research has to say about its trends and correlates; (c) examine what theories on causes and consequences mesh with crime policy in this area; (d) describe what the relevant policy choices are; and (e) argue why one of those choices is superior to the others. Be sure to include political and economic considerations, rationale and evaluation. Your brief should make use of published articles in criminology, psychology, sociology, medicine, and law journals, as well as government reports, other policy briefs, or news articles. However, since the goal of your brief is to inform and influence policy decisions, it is very important that your paper be understandable to a broad audience. How credible your brief is hinges on both how thorough your understanding of the relevant academic literature is and how careful you are in making your subject accessible to a general audience. How you write your research paper is up to you. You are not expected to develop original theories or perform original empirical research, but rather construct a cogent argument. Imagine, for example, Governor Mark Dayton or some other lawmaker asked you to brief him or her on crime policy initiatives they can implement while in office. Your goal is to convince them to adopt your policy. Strong papers generally draw from the descriptions and analyses of various sources and then proceed to present their own coherent argument and conclusions on the subject—conclusions supported by evidence and reasoning. Position papers typically begin with a question, and ask for an assessment of various points of view on the question and a resolution based all available evidence. Some things to keep in mind: • The brief should be no more than 12 double-spaced pages in length (approx. 3,000 words, excluding titles, notes, and references) • When in doubt, narrow your topic. It is far easier to extend a seemingly small subject than to adequately summarize a vast subject. • The number of academic papers you will cite depends on how large the literature is and how much information you are putting in your brief about each paper. A brief that cites only a couple of papers will not be credible. At a minimum, cite five refereed research articles (e.g., from American Journal of Sociology, American Sociological Review, Criminology, Criminology & Public Policy, Crime & Delinquency, Journal of Research        

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