Racial Disparities in the Juvenile Justice System

For Part Two of the final project, write a paper in APA style of 1750 to 27500 words (7 to 10 pages) in length, not including the title page, table of contents, and references.

1. Describe a current American juvenile justice system issue related to courts and criminal procedures. In your paper, be sure to explain and apply key terms and concepts relevant to the topic. You should choose an issue about which you are passionate. Below are a few possible sources to help you choose an issue. Note, however, that this list is not meant to be extensive; you are encouraged to find your own sources. If you find that any sources may be helpful to your classmates, feel free to share them in the Class Lounge.

1. National Juvenile Defender Center

2. Juvenile Law Center

3. Library of Congress: Current Legal Topics

2. Provide research on the issue. You are required to use at least five sources in your paper. The only types of references you may cite are as follows:

1. Peer-reviewed, professional journal articles (e.g., articles published in magazines such as Crime and Delinquency, Police Quarterly, Social Problems, and American Psychological Review), law review articles, and scholarly books (excluding the course textbook)

2. Federal and state case law (i.e., appellate court decisions)

3. State or federal statutes, including references to their legislative history

4. Government publications (e.g., Uniform Crime Reports, National Institute of Justice publications, and U.S. census data)

5. Scholarly websites

Do not cite non-scholarly newspaper or magazine articles. You may use this List of Peer-Reviewed Journals, available to you through TESU, as you conduct your research. The references you select must include at least one scholarly book published within the past five years and at least one criminal justice professional journal article published within the past five years.

3. Take a stand on the issue. Evaluate the pros and cons of both sides. After you have settled on an issue, think about it and take a stand. Formulate your thoughts. Know why you feel the way you do about the issue. Make reference to the interdependence of criminal justice with other fields, such as psychology or sociology. Then, display objectivity! You are not merely expressing your opinion; you are taking a point of view supported by professional literature. Do not merely conduct a superficial review of the issue. Evaluate various theories, consider existing research, and immerse yourself in the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of both sides of the issue. You must support all of your statements with citations from professional literature. While you are analyzing your issue, it will be important to analyze how the sources relate. If you are using only one source in a section of your paper, remember to connect the source to overarching concepts and themes you have discussed in your paper. All parts of your paper, including your sources, must be related.