Various population groups within the justice system have different needs, which can require specialized approaches to meet the needs effectively. Agencies regularly form departmental committees to discuss ways of improving their processes to better meet the needs of the public and the agency.
As a criminal justice professional who serves as a member of a committee that is meeting to discuss process improvements for the upcoming year, you have been tasked with researching recent trends in a specific population group in the criminal justice system and making process improvements.
Preparation
Select 1 of the following protected classes or another group that is tracked in federal or state crime data for your area:
Age
Race or ethnicity
Sex or gender
Religion
Language
Socioeconomic status
Disability or status of physical or mental health, including pregnancy, HIV, or COVID-19
Type of offense, length of sentence, or solitary confinement status
Note: Do not use juveniles as an example demographic for this assignment.
Select 1 focus population based on your selected protected class or tracked group.
Research recent trends for the population group you selected using the tools on the All Data Analysis Tools page on the U.S. DOJ Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) website and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Crime Data Explorer website. Consider improvements that could be made to improve the justice process for this population.
Assessment Deliverable
Write a 700- to 1,050-word executive summary in which you explain how to improve justice processes for a specific protected class in a prison population based on recent trends. This summary would be for the committee at the annual meeting.
Based on your research, include the following information in your summary:
Describe a negative trend in criminal justice that you identified in your selected population group. Explain the factors causing the trend according to current research.
Describe the unique considerations that this protected population raises in the U.S. justice system. Describe how U.S. prisons and jails address and/or fail to address the needs of people who are incarcerated who belong to this protected population. Explain how these special considerations affect the system and its processes. Provide specific examples supported by research.
Identify a potential solution or strategy that could have a positive impact on this trend. Explain any current trends for improving justice processes for this population and why you think the solution or strategy you identified would improve processes for this group.
Advocate for the solution you identified by explaining the changes required to implement it, such as increased funding, more specialized training, organizational changes, or other requirements to make the improvement.
Cite at least 2 scholarly sources and 1 peer-reviewed source to support your summary.
Format citations and references according to APA guidelines..
