Research Paper Guidelines
The Research Paper is a research paper combining your personal discoveries about a work or works that you can pull from appropriate research sources. The Research Paper must be overwhelmingly yours.
Requirements:
In three to five pages (at least 3, but no more than 5 pages), not including the cover sheet and reference page, research and discuss a topic from the list below.
Topics:
1. The development of the American juvenile justice system
- Analyze factors influencing the development of the American juvenile justice system.
- Summarize the beginning of the juvenile era. Include information detailing the earliest known juvenile laws.
- Define and discuss how parens patriae relates to the juvenile justice system.
- Summarize the original intent of the juvenile justice courts’ treatment aspect and discuss the social changes that began to impact the system in the 1960s.
2. Delinquency Theories
- Provide a description of a delinquency theory. Include an analysis of how the theory views delinquency and its causes.
- Choose the theory most associated with your beliefs and explain why you support that particular theory.
3. Gang Violence Prevention
- Why do juveniles join gangs?
- What are some social characteristics (psychological profile) commonly associated with an individual involved in a gang? Describe these characteristics.
- What can parents do to help their children stay clear of gangs?
- How can the community and schools help prevent juveniles’ involvement in gang activity?
- What approaches are the best for addressing prevention and helping kids get out of gang membership? To best illustrate your response, provide an example of one such approach utilized by a community program or delinquency prevention program.
4. Adult Court Waiver
- What is the purpose of the adult court waiver?
- Specifically, what does it mean for juveniles, as far as their legal rights are concerned, once they have been waived to the adult court system?
- Has the use of the adult court waiver become more common in recent years?
- What are the penalties that juveniles can face once they are waived to the adult system?
- Are there any penalties that juveniles cannot face once they are waived to the adult system?
- List and describe at least two benefits and two drawbacks of the adult court waiver. Make sure to support your assertions with research.
