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CJC 112: Criminology

Introduction

For this project, you will apply one or more of the theories discussed in the book to an actual crime and/or criminal to support your hypothesis on why crime happens. This project consists of 3 parks and may be individually assigned by you instructor. Your final course submission will include all 3 parts and count as your Final Project Grade.

Read the full assignment details here.

Part 1: Hypothesis/Identification of a Crime & Criminal

The purpose of part 1 of this project is to formulate a hypothesis Image of a person working on a computer.   on why you think crime happens, research and gather as much information as you can on a crime or criminal; and discuss crime trends related to your specific crime. You will later explain this criminal behavior using a theory from this course and your crime/criminal as a supporting example.

For part 1, you will need to formulate your hypothesis on why  you think crime occurs (this should be specific to the crime/criminal you will investigate). You are to select a well-known crime, criminal event, or criminal (this is so you will be able to get enough information on the person and the crime) and research the background demographics and information on your selected person and/or crime. You will need to construct a paper that consists of the following information:

  1. Your stated hypothesis of why crime happens.
  2. A description of a criminal and crime(s) they committed
  3. A discussion of crime trends related to the type of crime(s) or criminal selected (discuss the relationship of age, gender, socioeconomic status, and geographic location and the crime).
  4. A summary of any past crimes they may have committed.
  5. A detailed summary of their background (including childhood information, schooling, how and by whom they were raised, where they grew up etc.; you will use this to apply to your chosen theory later).
  6. References and a reference page in APA format.

I want you to tell me which topic/person you are researching, giving me some background information on the topic. If you are assigned the paper in sections, remember your first submission is a draft to help you work out issues before the Final Project. Drafts are more of a safety measure so that you and I are both sure you can write a full paper on the topic. Remember, once you choose a topic, you must stick with it and are not allowed to modify the original proposal.

  1. The draft should be between 1 and 3 pages in length. Image of a typed paper with red marks on it with a red pen laying on top.
  2. Appropriate in-text citations, where needed, in APA format.
  3. A reference page should be included, with a least 2 sources cited in APA format, more if you want. Please visit the Rose Library for assistance in finding academic sources and citing.
  4. Typed, double spaces, Word document.

APA Citations:

  • For instructions on how to create APA 7th edition citations, please see the APA Citations page.

Below are some possible criminal/crime suggestions to help you get started:

  • Any serial killer (there will be lots of information on them)
  • White Collar Crimes (ex. Martha Stewart, those convicted with the ENRON scandal)
  • Athletes who have committed crimes or been victims of crime (ex. Rae Carruth or Deidra Lane; wife of Carolina Panther Fred Lane)
  • Any criminal who received television coverage of their trial (this could be local such as the men who shot and killed the 2 CMPD police officers or the Peterson case; Jaycee Dugard)

These are only suggestions to get you thinking and you are not obligated to any of these but please research ahead of time to make sure you can get enough background information that will allow you to apply a theory to explain why they committed the crimes.