Overview of the paper assignment (10 percent of final grade): For this paper assignment, you must draw on Chapters 5 through 8 of the Latessa and Smith textbook as well as the PDFs of Unit 2. You should also utilize scholarly (peer-reviewed) resources to strengthen your arguments.
In your paper you must in your own words compare the juvenile probation system to the adult probation system. Please (1) describe basic differences between the two systems, (2) examine the differences in the role of the probation officer in the adult and in the juvenile system, and (3) identify areas for improvement in the risk assessment tools used for adults and those used for juveniles.
Format: The paper should be 8-10 pages in length, double spaced, Times New Roman font, 12-point size, and 1-inch margins on each side. The 8-page minimum does not include the title page and reference page. Students typically do not have trouble reaching the minimum page limit and points will be deducted for formatting that tries to artificially lengthen the paper that does not conform with formatting requirements. Points will also be deducted if the paper far exceeds 10 pages.
Title and title page: The paper should include a title page, which should state the name of your paper, your name, and the name of the course.
Reference page: The paper needs to include a reference page where you will include reference information for the any sources you cite (e.g., your textbook; PDFs, scholarly articles, etc.). Use the attached reference page as a guide.
Plagiarism: Before writing this paper, please make sure you review the plagiarism PDF posted on Blackboard. Do not plagiarize. SHSUs academic integrity policy and definitions of plagiarism can be found at https://www.shsu.edu/dotAsset/728eec25-f780-4dcf-932c-03d68cade002.pdf. If you have any questions about whether or not something you are writing is plagiarism, it is best to cite that information by including the source in the reference page and by including an internal citation in the text next to the paraphrased information. You will never lose points for citing sources too much (as long as you follow proper formatting guidelines). If you ever use direct quotes from a source, be sure to include quotation marks, include an internal citation, and add the source to the reference page. If you do not use citations, references, and quotations appropriately, it will be considered plagiarism.
Self-Plagiarism: Under no circumstances are you to utilize any written assignment that you have turned in for a grade in another class. If any portion of your paper has been previously submitted, TurnItIn will detect it, and this will result in a 0 (F) grade for the written assignment.
Scholarly Articles: For this assignment you are encouraged to utilize sources outside of class material. However, such sources must come from peer-reviewed, scholarly journals. Examples of accepted journal
outlets include (but are not limited to) Criminology, Justice Quarterly, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, and Criminal Justice and Behavior. Do not treat as facts resources outside of scholarly journals (for example, information you find on CNN.com or FOXNEWS.com). Please also be wary of websites that claim to be factual but may not be (for example, www.cis.org) In other words, if you cannot find a scholarly publication to support your fact, it is best you do not include it in your paper.
Grading: Please review the Rubric document. The paper will be worth 100 points and is worth 10 percent of your final grade. It will be graded on organization (20 points), level of content (20 points), development (20 points), grammar and spelling (20 points), and format (20 points).
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR WRITING YOUR PAPER
Writing Center: Students are encouraged to seek help at the writing center. This is a valuable service that is available to students at SHSU at no extra cost, but one that is underutilized. They are very helpful! Here is the link: https://www.shsu.edu/centers/academic-success-cent
Example of an internal citation:
The general theory of crime has been at the forefront of criminological research for over 25 years
(Pratt & Cullen, 2000). Perhaps due to the parsimonious nature, the general theory of crime has
received a great amount of scholarly attention and has become amongst the most cited theories
within the discipline (see for example, Grasmick, Tittle, Bursik, & Arneklev, 1993; Piquero &
Bouffard, 2007; Pratt & Cullen, 2000).
Example references and references page:
REFERENCES
Grasmick, H. G., Tittle, C. R., Bursik, R. J., & Arneklev, B. J. (1993). Testing the core empirical
implications of Gottfredson and Hirschis general theory of crime. Journal of Research in
Crime and Delinquency, 30(1), 5-29.
Piquero, A. R., & Bouffard, J. A. (2007). Something old, something new: A preliminary
investigation of Hirschis redefined self-control. Justice Quarterly, 24(1), 1-27.
Pratt, T. C., & Cullen, F. T. (2000). The empirical status of Gottfredson and Hirschis general
theory of crime: A meta-analysis. Criminology, 38(3), 931-964.
Other resources Me! Email (etoman@shsu.edu), come by during
