Property Crime or White-Collar Crime: Burglary
There will be three parts to this paper assignment.
- Part I: Traditional Academic paper
- Part II: Analysis and Comparison
- Part III: Critique and Opinion
Paper Sections:
Part I: Traditional Academic Paper
This paper will have three parts to it. The first part is the traditional academic paper. This is a five page traditional academic paper. It does not contain a student’s opinion. The traditional academic paper must not contain the student’s opinion on the topic. This assignment is not an opinion paper, so do not use content must also not be directed at the reader in terms of using (Up to 10 points will be deducted if this criterion is not followed)
Criteria for Font, Length, ‘ Spacing:
The paper must be 5-7 pages in length, using a black font of at least 10 in size and no larger than 12. The font’s styles must either be Arial or Times New Roman. This paper must be double-spaced. If the paper’s written content is not double-spaced or the font guidelines are followed
Body of the Paper:
Must Include Two Actual Cases within the Paper:
Students must include two actual cases that relate to their paper’s topic. A student may use more than two cases, but two cases are required within the term paper. (Up to 10 points will be deducted if two cases are not included within the paper)
For example, if a student chooses arson, the paper must reflect two actual arson cases. As students write their papers, they should appropriately link these cases throughout the paper. How does each case relate to what was learned?
What type of arson did the offenders identify in either of these cases? In the part of the paper that discusses types of arson, these would be examples within that section.
These cases should be used throughout the term paper as supporting data for the points within the paper. If one of the two cases relates to criteria within the paper, then include it in that section. Use both cases in that section of the paper if both cases relate.
Do not force the two cases at the end of the paper. They should not just be summarized in one section of the paper. Any student that awkwardly forces both cases in at the end of the term paper will have 5 points deducted from the paper’s grade.
* Include any official crime statistical data and other types of crime data collecting (victim surveys, self-reporting, and participant observation) when they apply to the crime topic. Explain what the statistical data reveals about the patterns of criminal behavior. Are there any possible issues or causations associated with this data?
*The paper must include patterns and trends of the crime topic. Explain what these patterns and trends reveal about the patterns of criminal behavior for that crime. When discussing the patterns and trends of that criminal behavior, did either of the offenders in these cases reflect what was known about them in the textbook and the research on this topic?
*Explain using academic data what their studies reveal about the crime topic? Explain any typologies relating to that crime. What typologies of this type of crime did the offenders identify in either of these cases? In the part of the paper that discusses typologies, these would be examples within that section.
*Students must explain the characteristics of the offenders of this type of crime. Continue by discussing if either of these offenders has any common characteristics described in the textbook or found in researching the topic.
* The theories related to this type of crime (offenders and victims). Discuss the different theories that relate to the crime topic of this paper. Continue with discussing the two case examples that were chosen for this paper. Did either of these cases reflect crime theory? Did the offender’s characteristics or background fit any theories related to this type of crime? If so, explain and give examples within that section of the paper.
* Discuss any current policies that relate to this type of criminality. What works and doesn’t work? Explain and include supporting data.
*Conclusion to this part of the paper.
Part II: Analysis & Comparison
The second part of this academic paper analyzes crime data/mapping from a law enforcement website on the crime topic. This is a 1 page crime data comparison of the crime topic. It does not contain a student’s opinion. It is an analysis of the website data on the topic.
There will be 5 points deducted if the submitted paper does not have at least one full page of written content for part II of this paper.
Police/Law Enforcement Website:
Go to a Police/Law Enforcement Website that contains crime data/crime statistics/crime mapping and research your crime topic. Try and find it for an entire year (1/1/22-12/31/22). Look at multiple law enforcement websites to find one that shows you the best data for your topic.
How does the data they provided compare to what you have researched about your topic? How does the data and patterns from this website compare to what you learned about crime patterns, trends, typologies, and theory? Does any of these fit the patterns of criminal behavior found in the two case studies? Explain your findings.
Conclusion for this section of the paper.
Criteria for Academic Resources & Referencing:
The paper assignment must contain at least five (5) academic resources cited. Class materials and texts are encouraged in the paper assignment but do not count as any of the five required academic resources. A student may have more than five (5) resources cited in the paper, but five (5) resources must fit the academic criteria as stated.
The online library is a good source for locating resources for this paper assignment. Acceptable resources from it are peer-reviewed journal articles or other textbooks. Do not use newspaper articles or magazines (Time, People, Newsweek, The New Yorker). Examples of peer-reviewed journals are the Journal of Criminology, International Journal of Victimology, Criminal Justice and Behavior, Journal of Criminal Justice, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Journal of School Violence, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, etc.
Students may use credible online resources. These online resources must end with .gov (FBI, DEA, NIJ, Department of Justice, CDC.gov) .org (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, ncadv.org, rainn.org). Do not use Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, online newspaper articles, online magazines (examples are Time, People, Newsweek, and The New Yorker), or any blogs as the required academic resources for the paper. If you have any questions about acceptable online resources, please contact me.
News websites (CNN, FOX, MSNBC, Newsmax, etc.), Newspaper articles (The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, etc.), magazines (Time, People, Newsweek, The New Yorker, etc.), and Infotainment (COPS TV show, A&E documentaries, Netflix, HULU, etc.) are not academic resources.
If a student does not follow these criteria for the required academic resources, then up to 10 points can be deducted from the paper.
*If a student is unsure about an acceptable resource, contact me through Canvas for clarification.
The referencing format for the paper is APA. If any student fails to follow these guidelines for the references or does not have references within their paper assignment, up to 5 points will be deducted per infraction. Meaning up to 25 points can be deducted if there is a failure to correctly reference the five (5) required academic resources.
*If a student has questions about the referencing format, contact me through Canvas for clarification.
Part III: Critique
Critique:
Once this part of the paper is completed, write a one or two-paragraph critique of the police/law enforcement website used in part II of the paper assignment. This is not part of the traditional academic research paper. This critique is part of the grading.
There will be 5 points deducted if the submitted paper does not contain a critique of the law enforcement/police website.
In the critique, discuss how this website could show the data, statistics, and any crime mapping in a more effective means of understanding the patterns of criminal behavior for that type of crime. What and how should it be more user-friendly for citizens and students researching that type of crime? What should it show that it currently does not? Students should also explain the positive aspects of this website. What does it tell citizens of that community about the crime topic?