MS-CJC Demonstration Project

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Instructions:

The paper you produce in response to this prompt represents the culminating and final demonstration of your MS-CJC program of study. The Demonstration Project is designed to allow you to incorporate materials and skills you have learned in your graduate program, while demonstrating the proficient use of extant research specific to this project.

As you create your manuscript, use 12-point Times New Roman font. Use a 1-inch margin throughout the document, double space the text of the paper, and insert page numbers throughout the document. Be certain to fully cite your sources using a standardized citation style, such as the American Psychological Association (APA) style or the Chicago Manual of Style. If you have questions about how to format your paper, consistently follow the formatting style used in one of the empirical research articles you use in your paper.

Focus on quality rather than quantity in your writing. Your paper should be 12-15 pages, with a firm 15 page limit (excluding title page, abstract, and references).

Remember to properly cite materials both when paraphrasing and using direct quotations, although the latter should be kept to a minimum.

The Demonstration Project is assessed in two ways, and at two points in time. Faculty reviewers will rate the work at two points throughout the process using a system that simulates the academic peer-reviewed process, using the following determinations: “accept as is,” “revise and resubmit” and “reject.” Additionally, since students will register for 3 credit hours of CJC 5590 – Directed Studies with the Graduate Director, the faculty reviewers will also assess the final Demonstration Project via a traditional letter grade using the Grading Rubric included in this packet. The final letter grade assigned to the Demonstration Project will be entered into the student’s transcript for CJC 5590 and will count towards the student’s program of study and cumulative GPA just as any other academic course would.
Spring 2017 Demonstration Project Question:

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), hate crime incidents in the U.S. spiked directly after last November’s historic election. Although the uptick in hate crimes has abated somewhat, hate crime rates remain at higher levels than before the election. With its large and diverse metropolitan area, Kansas City will not be immune from hate crimes. For your demonstration project (DP), you must first present evidence about the nature and extent of hate crime in the U.S., and describe in detail a strategy, policy, or program designed to combat hate crime in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

You may frame, investigate and respond to the issue in any way that you’d like, but it might be helpful to think at the outset about whether your strategy will be proactive or reactive. Your proposed response should focus on only one of the three CJ systems (police, courts, or corrections), and must clearly demonstrate a solution to a well-defined problem.

Your DP should be 12-15 pages (not including title page, abstract and references), and should contain the following general sections:

 A title page with the title of your proposal. Do not include your name on the title page. (<1 page, not included in total page count for DP)

 An abstract that briefly summarizes your paper, including the problem you are addressing, your suggested response, and the proposed evaluation to be conducted. (Approximately 150 words, not included in total page count for DP)

 An introductory section that provides a description of the problem/issue your DP will address. (1-2 pages)
o Be sure to define the problem, explain the extent/prevalence, and why it is a problem for the CJS.
o Rely on peer-reviewed journal articles for this section.

 A clear description of your response (strategy, policy, program, or change) to the problem, a demonstration that it is theory-driven, and a detailed description of how it should be implemented. (7-8 pages)
o Detail your proposed CJS response. In your description, make sure you clearly explain how one criminological theory (or more, if necessary) drives your response or forms the foundation for your response.
o Explain the systemic changes (large, small, and/or philosophical) that would be necessary in order to implement your response. Consider other elements that the criminal justice professionals who work in the system you’re targeting would need (e.g., education, training, skill development).
o Make sure your response is reasonable. For instance, your proposal should not require unlimited funding or unprecedented political cooperation.
o Be sure to include a thorough review of the relevant literature (again meaning peer-reviewed journal articles) in this section.

 A proposed method regarding how your response (strategy, policy, or program) should be evaluated using research. (1-2 pages)
o Clearly describe a well thought-out research design that could test the effectiveness of your proposed response.
o Describe the data elements/variables that would need to be collected, and how you would analyze these data using statistics.

 The limitations of your response (1 page)
o No program, policy, or strategy is perfect. Consider the following questions in your chosen CJ response: Have any stones been left unturned? What are some potential unintended effects of your proposed strategy? What other parts of the CJS, as they currently operate, might prevent the good things you’re proposing from happening, and/or being effective?

 A brief conclusion (1 page)
o Sum up everything that you’ve already written in a pithy, concise paragraph that reinforces the importance of the issue and the appropriateness of your response.

 References list (1-3 pages, not included in total page count for DP)
o Use APA formatting.
o In this section, you should provide citations for all publications, reports, case law, etc., that you used to write your paper.
o The vast majority of your references should be from peer-reviewed journals.