CRIM Final Paper.
Hello,
Please find my syllabus, and readings attached. Note that my lecture notes must be somehow incorporated, but because there are many, I will send only the ones you require. Please go through the assignment and syllabus, and let me know what lectures you need to incorporate (terminologies, themes, etc) so I can send them to you. This goes for the readings as well. 🙂
Also, to have an idea of what the policy solution looks like for this class, I have attached my previous assignment (Policy brief). Please note that it is to have an idea of what to do and it is not a part of this assignment.
Assignment Instructions:
This assignment combines aspects of previous assignments to assess your overall understanding of the materials and learning outcomes of this course. You must propose a policy solution to one of the issues discussed in the course, or otherwise demonstrably related to the course content and/or themes (i.e., criminal justice related). Your solution must be a criminal justice policy, or a policy with significant and clearly articulated criminal justice implications or relevance. Your proposed solution can be a completely novel policy, or it can be a revision of an existing policy or set of policies (the revision must be significant enough to be the subject of a paper of this length); it can even (but does not have to) combine elements of criminal justice policy with elements of other kinds of policy. Importantly, your policy must apply to a criminal justice issue, and take into account government infrastructure, in Canada (at the federal, provincial or territorial, or municipal level).
Your paper must have the following components:
• The context out of which the need for your solution arises: You must justify the need for this policy within contemporary social issues, public opinions or community needs, and policy shortcomings – in other words explain and defend the need for your solution.
• Discursive considerations: How are you framing the problem that your solution addresses and how is this framing different from existing framings (i.e., framings in existing government approaches to this issue)? What dominant discourses and subjugated knowledges are you engaging, challenging, and/or adopting with this solution?
• Theoretical engagement: In addition to practical considerations, you must justify your policy using theoretical tools (theory/ies and/or concept/s) drawn from course readings, and, if desired, other scholarly references, and apply them across or where suitable in the paper.
• What it involves: Describe what, exactly, your solution includes and involves. This may include a creative or visual layout for the policy such as a bill-like format, or a table. You must specify if your solution is a modification to an existing policy or set of policies (like how bills propose changes to various laws), or something completely new. As part of this you must also consider and explain how it fits into, or with, existing and relevant government structures, policies and/or procedures.
• How it works: Explain how your policy solution would be implemented, including: whom it targets, regulates and/or affects; the geographical community, institution, organization, and/or level of government to which it applies; how it will be rolled out; and its anticipated effects/impacts.
• An introduction that gives a roadmap of your paper, and a conclusion that reiterates your key points and speaks to the importance of your proposed solution.
Your proposed policy solution must be clear, creative, internally coherent, and appropriate for the problem and context identified. Your solution must also be your own invention – you cannot simply describe a criminal justice policy that is currently being introduced in Canada (e.g., a bill). If you want to do a police-related policy for your final paper, it must pertain to a different (not Toronto) municipal service, a provincial force, or the RCMP.
Your reference list must contain at least 12 references. Acceptable references include: at least 4 academic publications (i.e., not policy/legislative texts) from the course readings list; other academic publications including journal articles and books; existing pieces of legislation you are specifically using (e.g., specific Criminal Code sections, municipal regulations) – you are advised to use bills carefully (e.g., defend use or relationship if it did not become law); reports by government agencies, think tanks, or non-governmental organizations; evidence of public opinion, including website content, press releases, and social media content by advocacy/community organizations, as well as newspaper articles (but do not use newspaper articles for statistics or facts – use scholarly or other research reports, such as statistical reports from Statistics Canada, for this instead).
Format:
12 pages (max. 14; exclusive of reference list) double-spaced in length, Times New Roman font, with APA referencing for in-text citations and reference list (see guide in eClass). You must note the page number for all in-text citations, both for direct quotes and paraphrasing (for online sources without page numbers, write np). Block quotes (over 40 words) are allowed in an assignment of this length if they are well-chosen (i.e., paraphrasing would not suffice for some specific reason); in general however, you are urged to paraphrase in order to demonstrate your understanding of the issues discussed.
You are expected to title your paper, and also to name your suggested policy solution (does not have to be significantly different from the name of your paper, but it can be). Be sure to include name and student number at the top of the first page of your essay – a title page is not necessary.
Evaluation:
You will be graded on the quality of your analysis and justification, including your application of theoretical tools, and your consideration of existing government policy and infrastructure, and current/relevant (e.g., community, crime) issues; the design of your solution, including its appropriateness, feasibility, timeliness, and cohesiveness; your creativity; your writing (including clarity, grammar, and spelling); and your APA referencing.
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Please find my syllabus, and readings attached.
Draft Ideas:
Here are some readings from the syllabus that I think can build a foundation for the policy solution. Please feel free to edit or add ideas. Also, If you require access to some articles, please let me know and I can send you the pdf.
1. Context and Justification:
– Roach, K. (2014). Blaming the victim: Canadian law, causation, and residential schools. University of Toronto Law Journal, 64(4), 566-595.
– Murphy-Oikonen, J., McQueen, K., Miller, A., Chambers, L., & Hiebert, A. (2022). Unfounded sexual assault: Women’s experiences of not being believed by the police. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(11-12), NP8916-NP8940.
2. Discursive Considerations:
– Chan, W., & Chunn, D. (2014). Intersectionality, crime and criminal justice. Racialization, crime, and criminal justice in Canada (pp. 27-38). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
– Razack, S. (2008). Introduction: Race thinking and the camp. Casting out: The eviction of Muslims from Western law and politics (pp. 3-22). University of Toronto Press.
3. Theoretical Engagement:
– Turkel, G. (1990). Michel Foucault: Law, power, and knowledge. Journal of Law and Society, 17(2), 170-193.
– Cohen, S. (1985). Inside the system. Visions of social control: Crime, punishment and classification (pp. 40-86). Cambridge: Polity Press.
4. Policy Design and Implementation:
– Bill C-36 (2014), Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act: An Act to Amend the Criminal Code in Response to the Supreme Court of Canada Decision in Attorney General of Canada v. Bedford and to Make Consequential Amendments to Other Acts, 2nd session, 41st Parliament. Preamble only.
– Bill S-7 (2015), Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act.
5. Policy Analysis:
– Bacchi, C., & Goodwin, S. (2016). Chapter 2: Making politics visible: The WPR approach. Poststructural policy analysis: A guide to practice (pp. 13-26). Springer.
– Bardach, E. (2012). Part I. A practical guide to policy analysis: The eightfold path to more effective problem solving (pp. 1-60). Los Angeles: Sage.
6. Alternatives to Criminal Justice Policy:
– Braithwaite, J., & Daly, J. (1998). Masculinities, violence, and community control. In T. Newburn & E. A. Stanko (Eds.), Just Boys Doing Business? Men, masculinities, and crime (pp. 189-213). New York: Routledge.
– Murdocca, C. (2020). Re-imagining “serving time” in indigenous communities. Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, 32(1), 31-60.
