Final Paper
The focus of the second part of the research paper is on education and prevention and should be 4-6 pages in length. How would you advocate for this specific victim population? What are their most immediate needs? How would you make the community more aware of this population, and how would you assist in developing prevention services? How would you assist in obtaining restitution and compensation for your population? Are there public policies that need to be changed and/or implemented? This section also requires you to use critical thinking skills and to analyze your population as they move through the criminal justice system; therefore, part of this section of the paper will also include your opinion of the needs of the victim population.
Final Research Paper
The purpose of the assignment is to gain a comprehensive understanding of a particular victim population, one that is chosen by you, which reflects your research or career interests. It is preferred that you choose a victim population that has not been thoroughly reviewed in the class discussions. The topic of the research paper will be agreed upon by you and the instructor. While you are choosing your paper topic, please keep in mind that you need to be able to review professional journal articles related to the specific victim population. This may help guide your search.
The first part of the research paper is a literature review on the specific victim population you choose and will be 6-8 pages in length. The review will be an analysis and summary of current (the past ten years) professional journal articles, government reports, and/or book chapters that relate to your topic. It is expected that you will use and cite five to eight references. More specifically, you should cover the following topics in this part of the research paper:
- Describe the nature and type of victim population.
- Explain the various risk factors associated with this victim population.
- Indicate how long the group has been identified as victims; i.e., how their status in society has potentially changed over time.
- Describe the response to the victimization, by law enforcement, service providers, policy makers, and society as a whole.