After reviewing the textbook topics and course learning objectives, students will select a subject of interest for a 8-10 page research paper supported by a minimum of 5 academic peer reviewed sources. The paper is due at the end of Week 7. In your response to the discussion forum “Research Paper Topic”, post the topic you wish to research, the course learning objective with which it aligns, and why this topic is of special interest to you. I will approve, comment, or disapprove. Please wait for approval before you begin your research. This should be completed by the end of Week 2. The following are the six course learning objectives from which you can base your topic:

1. Examine the organizational structure and the administration process of the U.S. justice system.
2. Differentiate among the various components that influence the administration of the criminal justice system.
3. Describe the use of force and the use of discretion in criminal investigation.
4. Examine the administration of the courts when addressing sentence alternatives.
5. Analyze the American correctional system and its use of alternative programs when administering justice.
6. Identify common ethical issues that occur in the criminal justice system.

Research paper topics must be based upon one of the six course learning objectives. When submitting the selected research topic by the end of Week 2, students must identify not only the topic of their research paper but also the course learning objective with which it is aligned.

When writing your research paper be sure to focus upon the aspect of criminal justice that you are addressing from the perspective of the course learning objective with which it is associated. You must support points made in the research paper with scholarly resources. Your personal opinion must be limited and will not be a determining factor in the final grade. Instead, your grade is determined by how well you support your argument utilizing the materials discussed in this course and research and reference material you locate.

What I do not want is a regurgitation of what is in the text. Expand on the text; do not repeat it. Direct quotes should be used sparingly and limited to instances where the original meaning would be lost if not directly quoted. Document your facts utilizing standard APA style current edition.

This paper is to be submitted to me as indicated on the Course Schedule and Grading Policy Summary Table.  The paper is to be in APA format current edition and the body of the paper is to be between 8 and 10 pages.  The body of the paper does not include the title page, table of contents, appendix or references. Abstracts should not be included and will not count as part of the body of the paper if included.

This is to be of high quality, free of spelling and grammatical errors, and of original work. Plagiarism will be dealt with harshly.  You are to title your paper by your last name.  For example, an individual with the last name of Smith would name their paper “smith.docx” with “.docx” being the MS Word file extension.  You are to submit your paper by uploading it to the assignment section.

You must submit your research paper to this assignment as a Word document. Other formats will not be accepted. The date of your submission is based upon the date you successfully submit your research paper in the correct Word format.

Papers will be graded based on the Criminal Justice Formal Written Paper Rubric.