This document provides instructions for a criminal justice final project. Students must select one of three case studies, describe the offender's process through the criminal justice system from arrest to release, analyze the strongest and weakest links, and write a paper between 1,500-2,000 words using APA style citations. The paper should follow the outlined sections and will be graded on content, application of knowledge, formatting, and writing mechanics.

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Final Project - An Application of the Criminal Justice System
Instructions
This assignment is to demonstrate your mastery of how the
criminal justice system works. This assignment is designed to
give you an opportunity to display your knowledge of the parts
and processes of the criminal justice system. The more specific
and detailed the paper is, the more effective it will be in
demonstrating your understanding of the system.
Step 1. Select one of the three Case Studies below. Where there
is more than one person arrested/charged in that case, please
focus on ONE of the subjects for the purpose of this research
paper.
Step 2. Describe the process that the offender would go through
in the criminal justice system, beginning with arrest. For
purposes of this assignment you are to assume that the offender
will be eventually convicted, thus your paper should also
include all stages in the criminal justice process subsequent to
conviction. Upon conviction, you must also determine the
probable sentence the offender will receive, (institutionalization
or community-based supervision); explain why the sentence you
have chosen would most likely occur, and what the offender can
expect in light of this sentence. Students who exhibit mastery of
this project and how the system works will also provide a
probable alternative to the selected sentence, fully explaining
“why” this alternative could also occur. In essence, this paper
will track the offender from removal from the community by
police, to return to the community free of imposed supervision.
Step 3. Conclude your analysis by discussing what you believe
to be the weakest link in the criminal justice process and the
strongest link in the process. Provide explanations to support
your assessments for both. Careful critical thinking is required.

2. Invest considerable effort in thinking about what you have
learned over the course of the term in addressing this final
aspect of the mission.
The sources you are to use to obtain information for your
descriptions of the criminal justice process include the course
reading material and two peer-reviewed journal articles. As an
academic paper it must contain APA formatted citations
throughout the paper whenever information is being presented
from a source. You can find examples of citations and
references through the following links:
http://www.umuc.edu/library/libhow/citationresources.cfm
http://www.umuc.edu/library/libhow/apa_examples.cfm#intext
Even though you may have personal experience in the field (e.g.
police officer) or use knowledge obtained in previous courses,
information used in this paper must be supported through the
use of citations which meet the criteria for sources indicated
above.
An example of the correct page header and title page format can
be found in Unit 3 of the APA Tutorial in the Course Content.
Here are the sections that should appear in your paper, each of
which should be subtitled:
· Introduction
· A brief description of the crime
· Description of the processes in the adult American criminal
justice system the offender would go through, beginning with
arrest
· Your analysis of the weakest and strongest links in the
criminal justice process
- Conclusion
Form and Format Requirements
· Paper should be a minimum of 1,500 words and a maximum of
2,000 words
· Double space

3. · 12 pt. font
· 1” margins
· Use APA citations for all sources
· Include reference page (not included in word count)
·Additionally -
· Create a cover page for your assignment (not included in word
count)
· Include your name
· Course title and number
· Project title
· Topic selected
· Date of submission
Case Study 1 - MURDER
At 8:26 PM the Paradise 911 Emergency Call Center received a
call from John Wolf of 115 Front Street. Mr. Wolf asked for
police to be sent to 114 Front Street to investigate a body in the
driveway. Responding officers discovered Lucy Lane, deceased,
laying in the driveway of 114 Front Street. It was apparent Ms.
Lane had suffered multiple stab wounds to both the front and
rear torso. On the deck in the rear of the house officers also
discovered Rodney Hill, deceased. Mr. Hill also showed signs
of multiple stab wounds to his chest and abdomen.
Mr. Wolf informed police that he heard a commotion coming
from the front yard of the house across the street. The shouting
and yelling lasted several minutes and ended in a terrible
scream. Mr. Wolf went to the window and saw the former
resident James Lane driving away in his white Ford Bronco.
When he saw what looked like someone lying still in the
driveway across the street, he called 911.
The police investigation revealed that Ms. Lane owned and
lived at 114 Front Street. Mr. Hill and Ms. Lane had been in an
intimate relationship for several months. Ms. Lane was recently
divorced from James T. Lane, a bartender at a local
“gentlemen’s” club that features exotic dancers. On the day of
her death Ms. Lane had taken a restraining order out on James

4. Lane, alleging prior physical and emotional abuse as well as
threats against both her and Mr. Rodney Hill.
When interviewed by police, James Lane denied killing his
former wife or Rodney Hill. He had no alibi for his whereabouts
at the time of the deaths. A warrant-supported search of Mr.
Lane’s apartment uncovered a 6 inch lock-blade knife in Lane’s
dresser drawer as well as clothing in the basement that appeared
to be soaked in blood. Scientific tests revealed the blood on the
clothing matched the blood type and DNA of both Lucy Lane
and Rodney Hill. An examination of the knife also revealed the
same blood evidence.
Based on the evidence outlined above, police arrested James
Lane and charged him with the murders of Lucy Lane and
Rodney Hill.
Case Study 2 - ROBBERY
On October 11, 2011 the Winston police department 911
received a call from the cellphone of Milton Brown. Brown
reported he had just been robbed at gunpoint. When officers
arrived at the scene of Broadway and First Avenue they found
Mr. Brown waiting for them. Brown reported to the
investigators that at approximately 9:37 that evening he was
driving with the daily deposits from his store “BJ Shoes” to a
local bank. He was distracted by a man and a woman at the
intersection standing by a car with its hood up. The woman
appeared to be pregnant. Stopping to see if he could be of
assistance, Brown was confronted by both characters, each with
a revolver pointed in his direction. They demanded all his
money “..including the cash from the store.” When Brown
handed over the bank bag and his personal wallet the couple
took his car keys from his ignition and drove away in a white
Toyota saden. Brown also told investigators he thought he had
seen the woman before as a customer his shoe store.
After reviewing the surveillance videos from the BJ Shoes
security cameras Brown was able to identify the woman
assailant. Her credit card receipt identified her as Bertha Bloutt.

5. Police investigators obtained her local address and executed a
search warrant for her person, her home address and all
structures on her property as well as all vehicles on her property
or registered in her name. When the warrant was served police
discovered a Colt revolver and a Smith and Wesson revolver in
a bedroom dresser drawer and a bank deposit bag containing a
deposit slip for the account named BJ Shoes, Inc. The bank bag
was discovered under the front seat of a white 2009 Toyota
Camry sedan parked in the garage of the house. Bertha Bloutt
and William Bloutt were both at home at the time the warrant
was served. They were both taken into custody and taken to the
police station where they were identified by Mr. Brown as the
people who had robbed him at gunpoint. Bertha Bloutt and
William Bloutt were both charges with armed robbery with a
hand gun and aggravated assault, both felonies. Additionally
they were both charged with use of a handgun in a crime of
violence, also a felony.
Case Study 3 – DRUG DISTRIBUTION
On October 21, 2012 Sergeant William Butler and Officer
Samantha Brown stopped a car in the 2000 block of East Street
for failure to yield the right of way to a pedestrian. In the
course of the car stop it was determined the driver was Jeffery
Cox. According to the DMV registration information, Mr. Cox
owned the car. Sitting in the car front passenger seat was
Amanda Watson. When the officers checked on any outstanding
warrants on the occupants of the vehicle, they received a
positive response on Ms. Watson. Police arrested her based on
an outstanding arrest warrant for misdemeanor shoplifting.
When Ms. Watson was ordered out of the vehicle to be
handcuffed Sgt. Butler noticed a plastic bag of a substance he
suspected to be crack cocaine lying on the front seat where
Watson had been sitting. Incident to the arrest on the warrant,
Sgt. Brown searched Ms. Watson and found $650 in small
denomination bills but no devices with which to ingest crack
cocaine.

6. The plastic bag recovered from the car seat contained seven
separate plastic bags containing off-white material, which field-
tested positive for crack cocaine. In light of the proximity of the
bags of cocaine to Ms. Watson, she was charged with
Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute,
a felony. As the owner and operator of the vehicle, Jeffery Cox
was arrested and charged with the same felony. A search of his
person after the arrest revealed $1,450 in cash and several small
empty plastic bags with a powder residue that field-tested
positive for cocaine.
If you have any questions about this assignment, please contact
your instructor.
Criteria
Excellent
Superior
Satisfactory
Unsatisfactory
Overall content of paper, analysis, presentation, or project
40 points
Content of the paper addresses all information required by
assignment, demonstrates critical thinking skills, sophisticated
analysis and other perspectives. (27-40%)
26 points
Content of the paper addresses most or all information required
by assignments and demonstrates critical thinking skills, critical
analysis and other perspectives. (14-26%)
13 points

7. Content of the paper addresses a majority of the information
required by the assignment and demonstrates some critical
thinking skills, critical analysis and other perspectives. (1-13%)
0 points
Content of the paper addresses a minimal amount of the
information required by the assignment and demonstration of
critical thinking skills, critical analysis and other perspectives
is lacking. (0%)
Responsiveness to Project Description e.g.; application of
theory and knowledge to given facts Terminology,
Organization, etc.
30 points
Application of theory and knowledge is very evident. Use of
topic-specific terminology is correct in all instances.
Organization is relevant to topic, clear and understandable with
logical flow. (21-30%)
20 points
Comprehensive understanding of theory and knowledge is
shown. Use of topic-specific terminology has only minor errors.
Minor mistakes in organization and style. (11-20%)
10 points
Some understanding of theory and knowledge is shown. Topic-
specific terminology is mostly correct. Organization is mostly
relevant, clear, and logical. (1-10%)
0 points
Understanding of theory and knowledge is lacking in significant
respects. Multiple mistakes in topic-specific terminology. Lacks
relevance, is unclear, difficult to understand, or logic is
missing. (0%)
Formatting, references, and APA citations

8. 15 points
Assignment is formatted exactly as required, all required
citations and references are presentand APA standards are
followed in every respect. (11-15%)
10 points
Assignment is formatted as required with minor/
inconsequential deviations, resource requirements are met,
citations and references are present and APA standards are
followed. (6-10%)
5 points
Assignment mostly formatted as required but missing some
required elements/ sources orsome APA errors are evident. (1-
5%)
0 points
Assignment is missing major elements, lacks required
sources or APA is not followed however a different citation
method is used correctly. (0%)
Grammar/Mechanics
15 points
No or minor English and grammar usage errors. (11-15%)
10 points
A few minor/ inconsequential mistakes in English and
grammar. (6-10%)
5 points
Some obvious mistakes evident in English and grammar
usage. (1-5%)
0 points
Many mistakes evident in English/grammar usage. (0%)

9. Overall Score
Excellent
65.1 or more
Superior
33.1 or more
Satisfactory
0.1 or more
Unsatisfactory
0 or more