Transcript Document

BREAK IT DOWN
Getting into the rhythm of
CJ 299 – Associate Capstone projects
Sentencing Project
There are several types of sentencing.
Each is designed to help reduce recidivism
while serving as a general and specific
deterrent.
Terms to know:
• Sentencing: When a judicial authority
imposes a criminal sanction.
• Recidivism: The repetition of criminal
behavior.
• Deterrent: Inhibiting criminal behavior
through fear of punishment.
Your assignment
In a paper, define, describe and discuss the
advantages and disadvantages of
indeterminate, determinate, and mandatory
sentencing.
Define: State the meaning of these kinds of
sentences.
Describe: Give an account of these kinds of
sentences by telling more about them, such
as when and where they are used.
Discuss: Give examples of these kinds of
sentences currently and historically, talk
about how they are used, and any benefits
or drawbacks they may have.
Sentencing terms to know:
Indeterminate – relatively unspecific terms (one to
10 years, for example) meant to encourage
rehabilitation.
Determinate - a fixed term of imprisonment that
may be reduced by good time.
Mandatory – Required sentence with no leeway.
Clear-cut punishments mandated for specific
offenses, and also for habitual offenders
convicted of a series of crimes.
Find at least five outside references.
Articles from academic journals, or peerreviewed journals, are preferred.
Your paper must have 5-7 pages of content –
what you have gathered from the journal
articles.
Also, you need title, abstract and reference
pages, which means the paper will be at
least eight pages long.
Submit your paper by April 12th in the basket
titled Unit 3: Sentencing Project.
I am here to help you!
Midterm Project –
Search and Seizure
For this project, you will read a story, or
scenario – that is, a description of an event
and what happened afterward – and you
will write about it by answering four
questions.
The event is a homicide.
The Scenario
Mary Ellis, a widow, lives in a townhouse that
she shares with her adult son, William, who
does not pay rent.
Mrs. Ellis wakes up Saturday morning, goes to
her walk-in closet, and finds a man she
recognizes as a neighbor, Clyde Stevens, lying
on the floor unresponsive.
Mrs. Ellis calls 911, and soon police and EMS
personnel arrive.
Mr. Stevens is pronounced dead from an
apparent stabbing. A large butcher knife is
sticking out of his back.
Mrs. Ellis, a senior citizen, is transported to the
hospital for observation because she is so
upset.
Police establish a crime scene and call for
detectives and crime scene specialists.
Detectives begin a canvass and interview
Mr. Stevens' wife, Sheila. Mrs. Stevens tells
police that William Ellis has entered her
townhouse several times unannounced. On
one occasion, he appeared to be trying to get
into her bed.
Mrs. Stevens gives the police consent to search
the house for any potential evidence that
might identify her husband's killer.
In William’s bedroom, technicians develop a
blood fingerprint adjacent to a light switch,
using an amino acid stain, after locating the
print using the absorptive properties of blood
and a portable argon laser.
The crime scene investigator photographs the
print and recovers a sample of the blood for
DNA analysis.
The print is from the right index finger of
William Ellis, and DNA analysis matches the
blood to Clyde Stevens.
On the basis of this and associated evidence
from the Stevens and Ellis residences, an
arrest warrant is issued for William Ellis.
William is arrested in Utah and extradited to
Illinois to stand trial. His lawyer files a motion
to exclude evidence.
Now that you know the scenario, you will write
a paper based on 4 questions.
1. How would William's lawyer argue to have
the physical evidence excluded? (In other
words, what will the lawyer base his or her
argument on - which facts of the case will be
used?)
2. Will the exclusion pertain to all the evidence,
or is there a difference between the evidence
collected from the Ellis and Stevens homes?
(One consideration is who has “standing,”
which is the power to grant the authorities
the right to search without a warrant).
3. Discuss the exclusionary rule and the "fruit of
the poisonous tree" doctrine, and determine
whether these concepts apply to this scenario.
Support your answer by citing legal cases and
other research, such as:
Flippo vs. West Virginia determined that police
do not have a “crime scene exception” that
allows them to conduct a broad warrantless
search of a homicide crime scene. The
Supreme Court reversed a West Virginia
court’s conclusion that officers acted properly
when they conducted a thorough search of a
murder scene without a warrant.
Thompson vs. Louisiana. The Court affirmed its
unanimous decision in Mincey v. Arizona in
1978: There is no “murder scene” exception to
the Fourth Amendment.
Search of a homicide scene requires consent or
a warrant.
Mapp v. Ohio, in 1961, held that the
exclusionary rule was binding on the states
through the Fourteenth Amendment, which
guarantees due process. Until this case was
decided, most states had rejected the
exclusionary rule.
4. Describe what steps you would have taken if
you had investigated this case.
What would you have done differently, and
why?
Terms to know
• Canvass – go door-to-door to gather evidence in a
neighborhood.
• Amino acid stain – substance used to detect fingerprints.
• Argon laser – gas laser used to detect fingerprints.
• “Fruit of the poisonous tree” – means illegally gathered
evidence is inadmissible in court.
• Extradite – surrender of a suspect from one jurisdiction to
another.
• Exclusionary rule – incriminating evidence must be gathered
according to due process or it cannot be used in a criminal
trial; that is, it will be excluded.
You’re ready to begin!
Your paper should be 5-7 pages of content you
find in your research. You also need a title
page, abstract page and reference page. That
means your paper will be a total of at least 8
pages.
Use 5-7 outside references, preferably from
original court cases, along with academic
journal articles.
Submit your paper by April 26th in the basket
titled Unit 5: Midterm Project.
I am here to help you!
Community Policing Project
Over the last several decades police agencies
have been working to gain the respect and the
cooperation of the communities they serve.
Now you will write a paper about Community
Oriented Policing (COP). That is the project.
Your paper will be based on 5 questions.
Your assignment
Describe, define and discuss Community
Oriented Policing (COP). Include in your
discussion the various methods of
implementing the program.
Base your paper on these 5 questions
1. What are some of the most important concepts of
COP?
2. Define Problem Oriented Policing (POP).
3. How is it related to Community Oriented Policing?
4. Can the physical structure of the organization help
or hinder COP and POP?
5. What are the challenges of COP?
You’re ready to begin!
• Your paper must include 5-7 outside
references, with at least one peer-reviewed
journal article.
• Your paper must contain 5-7 pages of content,
along with a title, abstract, and reference
pages.
This means your paper will be
at least 8 pages long.
Submit your paper by May 10th in the basket
titled Unit 7: Community Policing Project.
I am here to help you!
Professional Development Journal
The Professional Development Journal marks
the end of your capstone course, and for many
the successful conclusion to the first two years
of your academic journey.
The Professional Development Journal serves
three functions:
1. It’s a place for you to record critical reflections
on your education, and to define its value in
relation to your personal and professional
growth.
2. The journal serves as a valuable tool in
assessing your comprehensive knowledge of
the field of criminal justice.
3. Based on your critical reflections and learning
assessment, the journal helps you outline a
plan for lifelong learning and development
that meets your goals for academic,
professional, and personal success.
Start now!
Rather than waiting until the end of the class,
you should work on the journal throughout
the course, adding and refining your thoughts
as part of a process of discovery.
It’s all about YOU!
A Professional Development Journal is like a
diary in which you reflect on current events –
in this case, your education here at Kaplan –
as a way to put your thoughts down in writing.
It allows you to look at what you have written,
assess what you have learned and how to
apply it to your work, your life, and your
future.
• Using the journal this way, you will be
surprised how easy it is to do goal-setting
activities and organize your efforts towards
those goals.
• Your journal should include at least 5 shortterm (6 months to a year) and 5 long-term (5
years) goals, with a plan on how to reach
those 10 goals. You are strongly encouraged to
include any thoughts about your Kaplan
experience and especially this class.
How do I complete my journal?
You may use the “journal” function that is part
of the class, or you may submit your journal
through the Dropbox as a Word document.
Also, you can use a PowerPoint presentation
with at least eight slides.
Remember that one page will not fulfill the
requirement. A minimum of 3, well-written,
double-spaced pages will be fine.
You’re ready to begin!
Watch your grammar and spelling, because, as a
professional in training, your professional
communication skills are important. Do enjoy
writing the journal – it should not be a
burden.
Submit your Professional Development Journal
by May 24th in the basket titled Unit 9:
Professional Development Journal .