Policy Memo: Expanding Hawaii’s HOPE Program.

Policy Memo: Expanding Hawaii’s HOPE Program.

Imagine you are put in charge of a state commission that has been asked to review and recommend whether your state government should adopt Hawaii’s HOPE probation reform. Write a brief memo explaining why you do or do not believe your state should adopt the HOPE system. Successful essays will:

1. Summarize how Hawaii’s HOPE system worked and how it changes probation.
2. Unpack the logic of why the HOPE system may be more effective than existing approaches to parole.
3. Critically valuate the strength of the evidence about the HOPE system in Hawaii and in other states.
4. Identify the specific benefits of the HOPE system and the potential costs (in dollars or increased criminal justice system workload) for adopting the policy.
5. Provide a summary argument for why the Hawaii HOPE system should or should not be adopted in your state.

You are welcome to choose any state you want as your client. If it helps, you can focus on California.

Each response must follows the basics of a memo format, including an executive summary, summarizing the key problem and recommendation, a background section talking about the severity and history of the problem and the need for a solution, an evidence section that draws upon research evidence to support a recommendation, a recommendation section identifying your recommendation, a section on the limits and barriers to policy, and a concluding statement, drawing the linkages between the theme of the paper and the evidence developed.. You can follow other formats for organization, but be sure to have most of these components.

Your response should be single spaced paragraphs with double space between sections and paragraphs, 12 point font, with proper citations ( MLA ).