Week 1 Criminal Justice Issues Running head: WEEK 1 CRIMINAL JUSTICE ISSUES

Week 1 Criminal Justice Issues [Authors Name] [Tutors Name] [Class]

Week 1 Criminal Justice Issues Week 1 Criminal Justice Issues Writing a capstone project is not an easy task. A well-designed capstone project requires extensive knowledge of criminal justice issues, their social implications, as well as

creativity and professionalism to develop a real-life solution. The most difficult task for me was to choose a topic appropriate and suitable for developing and creating a project. The fact is in that the current system of criminal justice is overfilled with issues and controversies. From investigating the crime scene and up to presenting evidence in the court and sentencing a person guilty of a crime all aspects of criminal justice system are associated with some kind of difficulties and problems (Pound, 2007). For example, when investigating the crime scene and gathering digital evidence, forensic professionals frequently face the need to balance privacy issues with the demands for security, safety, and criminal justice (Pound, 2007). In the same manner, when choosing the most appropriate form of sentencing, courts and law officials are bound to weigh all pros and cons, as well as the rights and obligations of defendants against specific forms of punishment (Pound, 2007). Also, our correctional system poses a number of challenges, and as professionals we must be prepared to resolve them. Because I am familiar with the issues of correctional justice, and because I see correctional system as the key to a better crime situation, I chose to concentrate on the issues, which correctional professionals face in their daily practice. I believe that not corrections in their conventional form but treatment and rehabilitation may give former criminals another chance to reintegrate with their community. I chose to write on probation as a form of correctional approach. I view probation as a promising trend, but at the same time, probation does not resolve all crime issues. Moreover, probation has farreaching social, cultural, and ethical implications, which require detailed analysis and research (Gelsthorpe & Morgan, 2007). That is why I believe that my project will help resolve at least one or two issues currently associated with probation.

Week 1 Criminal Justice Issues The topic of my capstone project is Probation: A Roadmap to a Better Correctional Policy in the U.S.. The major question to investigate and resolve is improving overall efficiency of probation and positioning probation as the major element of the current sentencing and correctional policy. The issues and questions to be discussed are as follows: 1. The current state of probation in the country. 2. The major law enforcement and criminal justice issues associated with probation. 3. Criminal justice theories and probation. 4. Probation and diversity 5. Probation and social justice. 6. Probation psychology and ethics of corrections.

7. Developing a plan: Probation as the dominant principle of correctional policy in the U.S. All these aspects may be modified to fit the needs of the current project, but they all require detailed analysis to identify the most problematic probation areas and to address them in the final plan of the project. It is necessary to review probation through the prism of criminal justice theories and principles, to understand what goals and objectives law enforcement professionals pursue in probation. It is also important to investigate ethical and psychological sides of probation. The fact is in that probation may release criminals from the psychological burden of imprisonment, but is the psychological effect of probation meaningful enough to give criminals a chance for community reintegration? Also, how ethical is it to choose probation instead of imprisonment? Probation looks like a correctional measure that meets diversity needs of criminals and defendants. This side of probation also needs to be analyzed. In the light of this information, a general plan of improving the overall efficiency of probation will be developed. It is interesting to predict whether probation as the major correctional measure will work to improve the overall crime situation in the country.

Week 1 Criminal Justice Issues References Gelsthorpe, L. & Morgan, R. (2007). Handbook of probation. Willan Publishing. Pound, R. (2007). Criminal justice in America. Transaction Publishers.