CJ 303 SDSU Criminal Justice Policy and Procedure Evaluation Case Study write a 3 page essay policy in the us the assigmnt and an example is provieded belo

CJ 303 SDSU Criminal Justice Policy and Procedure Evaluation Case Study write a 3 page essay policy in the us the assigmnt and an example is provieded below CJ 303 Writing Assignment
Criminal Justice Policy and Procedure Evaluation
In the halls of government public policies and procedures are continuously being defined, developed,
implemented and evaluated for the purposes of achieving certain goals that are considered to be in the
best interest of the citizenry. Policies are the guiding principles that are usually expressed in broad terms
and are often statements of ‘what’ or ‘why’. Procedures are the directions that inform people how a
policy is to be implemented. In that regard, procedures are most often concerned with answering the
‘how’, ‘when’, and ‘who’. For instance, if the goal of a school district is to reduce or eliminate instances
of bullying, it will develop some broad policies that outline a range of actions intended to achieve that
goal. This is the first paragraph of San Diego Unified’ s Anti-Bullying and Intimidation Prohibition Policy:
In its commitment to providing all students and staff with a safe learning environment where everyone is treated with
respect and no one is physically or emotionally harmed, the Board of Education will not tolerate any student or staff
member being bullied (including cyber?bullying) or intimidated in any form at school or school?related events, (including
off?campus events, school?sponsored activities, school buses, any event related to school business), or outside of
school hours with the intention to be carried out during any of the above.
The policy itself, as you can see, says nothing about how you are going to achieve that goal, nor should
it. It’s the procedures themselves that describe the processes for achieving the goal and will be much
longer. Another word you should be familiar with is programs. Programs are the organizational means
by which a policy is implemented. It links policies with the procedures that are necessary to achieve a
goal. It also helps the public understand what the department is trying to achieve. Oftentimes programs
and policies are used interchangeably but they are different.
Example
Policy: The Sheriff’s Department needs to ensure that at risk adults (those suffering from Alzheimer’s,
dementia etc.) who wander away from their homes can be tracked as quickly as possible.
Program: Take Me Home Program, a regional photo-based information system
Procedures: How do I enter the program? Who is eligible? When can I submit an application?
ASSIGNMENT
You are to write a double spaced three page paper (not including a citation page) that researches a
single policy or program that has been implemented by a law enforcement agency, court system or
corrections system. You may choose any of the following as your topic. If there is a program or policy
you wish to assess that is not on this list, please clear with me beforehand. The policy or program must
be very specific. Do not write about Stop and Frisk policies, write about the stop and frisk policy of a
specific agency. Likewise, do not write about prison privatization generally, instead write about the
policies of a particular county, state, etc. Here are the elements you must include in your paper:
•
•
•
•
•
Identify the problem the policy or program sought to address. Indicate the reasons, history, or
intent that led to the creation of the program or policy. Be specific!
Review the history of the particular policy or program
Discuss any controversies the enactment of the policy or program created
Analyze the impact of the policy/program and discuss any controversies it has generated.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the policy and briefly discuss any alternatives
Again, this is a short paper and I don’t expect you to touch on every element you may find. You will need
to be concise and specific. Cite your sources (use at least two) and use one of the standard styles (APA,
MLA). You do not need to use a title page, but I expect a citation page.
Grading/Due Date
20 points
10 points-Organization, structure and focus
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How well do you define your policy?
How well to you focus on specific elements of your policy?
10 points-Writing quality and style
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How well to you write about your policy?
Paper is due no later than 1159 PM Monday, May 4th, 2020. All papers must be submitted as either a
.doc or .docx file. No other file types will be accepted. Papers will be evaluated by SafeAssign for
originality.
Late papers will have the score deducted by 3 points
Finally as a reminder, your paper needs to be formal, concise, straightforward, organized, logical,
thoughtful, well researched, well supported, and well written. Basically, make it interesting. The best
way to do that is choose a topic that interests you.
POSSIBLE TOPICS (but please don’t limit yourself to just these)
Police
Stop and Frisk (any police department other than NYC)
Immigration and local law enforcement (any department/state other than Arizona)
Use of Force
Courts/Judicial System
Jury Selection
Capital Punishment/Death Penalty
Sentencing Reform (Three Strikes, etc.)
Corrections
Prison Privatization
Prison and the Mentally Ill
Women in Prison
Cook County, IL Mental Health Transition Center
Prior to the 1960s, individuals with a mental illness were generally institutionalized
in mental health hospitals that provided them with care and kept them out of the public
sphere. However, in 1963, congress passed the Community Mental Health Act, which
inadvertently led to the rapid deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill. As an unfortunate
side effect, the corrections department was burdened with housing these individuals, many
of whom suffered from homelessness and found their way into the criminal justice system
through crimes like theft, drug use, and even aggression. This burden is especially felt in
Illinois where the Cook County Jail, one of the nation’s largest jails – along with Rikers
Island in New York and the county jail in Los Angeles – has had to deal with federal
oversight regarding the treatment and mistreatment of mentally ill (Williams). Under the
leadership of Sheriff Thomas J. Dart, the creation of the Cook County Mental Health
Transition Center has provided specialized care of mentally ill inmates and has included
programs like group counseling, education, and substance abuse workshops (“Mental
Health Template”).
Between 2009 and 2012, Illinois made the fourth largest cuts to mental health
services of any state and consolidated 6/12 mental health institutions under the claim that
these cuts would lead to $2 million in savings (Collins, “State that Gutted Mental Health
Services”). However, cutting these services wound up burdening the correctional
department, which sees 39% of arrestees at Cook County Jail intake that self-identify as
mentally ill (“The State of Warrants in Cook County”). According to Sheriff Dart, “You’ve got
somebody who’s been picked up and removed from the street with some type of mental
illness. Instead of treating them… you basically just churn them into the criminal justice
system—which was never set up for these people” (Ford). Similar sentiments, were
mirrored by a monitor appointed by the U.S. District Court in Peoria who’s testimony
regarding the negligent use of segregated cells to house mentally ill inmates led the federal
court to mandate that the Illinois Department of Corrections improve its prison services
(Collins, “Illinois County Rehabilitated Mentally Ill Offenders Through Treatment”).
The heart of these reforms is the Metal Health Transition Center, which is designed
to help inmates cope with their mental illness and prepare to return to life on the outside
(Ford). These programs are comprised of phases, which include daily group therapy
sessions, classroom education, job-readiness training, and even gardening (Ford). Sheriff
Dart’s work with the Center has been incredibly successful. Since 2013, the Cook County
Jail’s population has decreased by 20% and recidivism rates are down as well (“The State of
Warrants in Cook County”). Furthermore, in a study following 43 former inmates who
attended the program before being released, none of those inmates have been rearrested
(Williams). The success of these programs is also seen in the testimonies of former inmates,
such as Luvell Pierre Gipson who stated that, “The program gave me the opportunity to
think about my behavior… I gained the tools of negotiation, anger management, and
conflict resolution” (Collins, “Illinois County Rehabilitated Mentally Ill Offenders Through
Treatment”).
Due to the success of the Mental Health Transition Center and its programs, there
has been little controversy surrounding it. This also has to do, in part, with the fact that
these reforms needed to happen as mandated by the May 2013 court order. That being
said, however, some are still reluctant to rely on jail diversion programs as an answer to
the national problem of recidivism and two-thirds of courts continue to punish offenders
with more jail time if they fail to complete treatment programs (Collins, “Illinois County
Rehabilitated Mentally Ill Offenders Through Treatment”). Although these new reforms are
effective, there are certainly ways that the Cook County Corrections system can improve
the Mental Health Transition Center and its programs. Currently, inmates have to apply and
be selected in order to benefit from the programs. This does little to address the hundreds
of mentally ill inmates in the system that have no access to these programs. One potential
alternative to this would be creating programs that are accessible to all inmates. If there
are issues regarding finances or safety, then resources could go towards ways of
disseminating the same information, such as through brochures or fliers that can be viewed
by inmates. Another alternative could be organizing housing or group exercises in such a
way that inmates partaking in these programs could reteach the information and
techniques to smaller groups of their fellow inmates. One final alternative would be to
provide more comprehensive training for prison guards and staff in handling mentally ill
inmates. Granted the role of a prison guard is not to act as a therapist, but even just a basic
understanding of the different mental illnesses that affect individuals could be extremely
helpful in reducing instances of violence against or maltreatment of mentally ill individuals.
Given the fact that caring for a mentally ill prisoner costs the Illinois Department of
Corrections nearly three times as much as the $143 per day it costs to jail an average
person, it would be wise to continue to invest in programs like the Mental Health
Transition Center in an effort to reduce recidivism and ultimately save money (Collins,
“State That Gutted Mental Health Services”).
Works Cited
“A Mental Health Template for American Jails.” Cook County Sheriff -A Mental Health
Template for American Jails, 2017, www.cookcountysheriff.org.
Collins, Sam P.K. “State That Gutted Mental Health Services Finally Has A Plan To Help
Mentally Ill Inmates.” ThinkProgress, ThinkProgress, 11 Nov. 2014, Web.
Collins, Sam P.K. “What Happened When An Illinois County Rehabilitated Mentally Ill
Offenders Through Treatment.” ThinkProgress, ThinkProgress, 18 Sep. 2015, Web.
Ford, Matt. “America’s Largest Mental Health Hospital is a Jail.” The Atlantic, 8 June 2015,
Web.
“The State of Warrants in Cook County.” Cook County Sheriff’s Office – Home Page, 2017,
www.cookcountysheriff.org.
Williams, Timothy. “A Psychologist as a Warden? Jail and Mental Illness Intersect in
Chicago.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 30 July 2015, Web.

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