CRJU 4150 Sex Offenders and Offenses
Final Project Instructions
The Project
The Colorado State Legislature hears testimony from professionals and citizens alike on issues related to different state agencies. Every year, there is a hearing regarding the Sex Offender Management Board and the standards they develop.
Imagine you are testifying as a professional at one of the sex offender related hearings.
Develop a proposal for legislative change regarding the conviction, supervision, treatment of these offenders in Colorado, or regarding victims of sex crimes. You are required to submit your proposal in writing (see example below for content). Include why this topic is important, why the change is a good idea, and what potential benefits/unforeseen harms might be. You can use information from the SOMB, current legislation, other states’/countries’ legislation, etc. You MUST include at least three peer reviewed research articles (you may use articles I provided in class or from your textbook).
Your proposal should include a literature review of existing research related to your proposals. The literature review should provide evidence for why your proposal adheres to best practices and why the State should consider implementing your suggestions. Your proposal should also include current policy in Colorado to provide a framework of the gaps or issues that need to be addressed. You should provide a brief summary/conclusion and a list of at least three suggestions the State Legislature should consider adopting. Alternately, you may include your suggestions throughout your proposal and provide mini-literature reviews for each. If you choose to do that, please make sure you clearly state your suggestions (e.g., “My first suggestions is…”, “Suggestion 1:…”).
Rubric
Content
- How well do you articulate the issue?
- Do you provide evidence and sound reasoning to support your proposed change?
- Do you include a critical analysis of benefits and harms?
- You are required to provide at least three legislative suggestions in your paper (they can just be
listed; see example)
Please note that your assignment will be run through Turnitin; plagiarism or any other cheating
will result in a zero for this assignment and you will be reported for disciplinary action
APA Formatting
- 12pt Times New Roman or Calibri
- Double Space
- 1″ margins
- 2-3 pages (references will make it 3-4 pages)
Grammar
- Punctuation
- Spelling
- Syntax
You may use first-person language since this is a proposal
Citations
- APA format (see the OWL at Perdue website for APA citation guides)
- In-text citations
- Reference Page
You must use at least three research articles