Criminal 8

CRJ 110 – Module 8 Homework Assignment

PART I: ESSAY 

Directions: Answer the question below. Your response should be at least one page in length. 

1. Review the websites listed below to learn more about future trends in crime and law 

enforcement’s response to that crime. Write an essay that predicts the changing nature of 

crime and explains effective law enforcement responses to crime in the twenty-first 

century. Be sure to include the following information in your essay: (1) What types of 

crimes will be the most prevalent?; (2) How will new technologies affect law enforcement 

and individual rights?; (3) How will police departments and prosecutorial agencies respond 

to new vanguards in criminal justice?; (4) Do traditional notions of “jurisdiction” and 

national boundaries hinder the ability to investigate crimes in the new “cyberworld?”; and 

(5) Discuss the current trends in both violent crimes and property crimes, and project future 

crime trends based on your research and observations. 

• http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/itb/it-strategic-plan-2010-2015 

• http://www.interpol.int/public/FinancialCrime/IntellectualProperty/Default.asp 

• http://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/reform/ch1_d.html 

• http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/enibrscs.pdf 

PART II: COURSE PROJECT: CRIMES AND THEORIES 

(Compilation of Modules 1-8) 

Directions: This course project will include a written component for each module that will be 

turned in at the end of the course in Module 8. Criminology is the study of crime and criminal 

behaviors based on theory. Your textbook defines a theory as a series of interrelated 

propositions that attempts to describe, explain, predict, and ultimately control some class of 

events. A theory gains explanatory power from inherent logical consistency and is “tested” by 

how well it describes and predicts reality. To assist you with this project, the textbook defines 

theories throughout. The theories associated with criminology can be applied to the crimes we 

see committed in the news each week. Thus, this course project will involve locating two crimes 

(one in your local or nearly surrounding communities and one national) and applying the crimes 

you locate to one of the theories learned in this course. 

For example: Situational Choice Theory could be related to a crime of robbing a person because 

this type of crime often depends on the situation involved, such as a victim being in the right 

place at the right time and other factors that lends to the ability to commit the crime, including 

location, time of day, environmental factors, and the victim being alone and in possession of 

items the offender desires. 

Requirements: For each module, locate a local and national crime, describe the details and 

source of the crime (also be sure to keep a reference page with all the sources used throughout 

the course project). Identify an appropriate theory learned during this course, describe the 

theory, and then explain how the theory relates to the crime chosen. Thus, each part should [INSERT TITLE HERE] 3

require at least one paragraph as follows: 

1. Chosen description and details of the crime 

2. Chosen Theory, including definition and founder 

3. Explanation of how the chosen theory relates to the chosen crime. 

Repeat this process for each crime – one local and one national for a total of a minimum of six 

paragraphs per Module. Sources of crimes include newspapers, websites, television news 

stations, etc. You can use theories repeatedly for this project; however, try to use varying 

theories to demonstrate an understanding of as many course criminological theories as possible. 

Be sure to include APA formatting, including a cover page, in-text citations, and a reference 

page (please visit the Academic Resource Center for concise APA guidelines). For each module, 

be sure to include the date with either Local or National next to the date as the title for that 

module assignment. Note that there must be two titles for each module (one for local and one for 

national). Grading will be in part on ensuring that the course project included both a local and 

national component for each module. Thus, the final project should have a minimum of 16 

Crimes with Theories Applied (two per module). You will also be graded on your APA 

formatting, reference page, grammar, and spelling.