Research Paper: This assignment requires that you identify a topic/issue you are interested in that relates to criminal law, and research the issue in academic journals and/or books.
In the paper you will need to (1) define the issue, (2) review the research on the issue, (3) describe how the issue relates to criminal law and how it impacts the criminal justice system, (4) thoroughly evaluate the issue explaining it through the eyes of supporters and opponents of the topic, and (5) propose an alternate way in which the topic can be addressed by the criminal justice system, to include a thorough evaluation of why your proposal would be more effective/equitable/or advantageous to the criminal justice system.
Research: You are expected to search online databases for articles that relate to your topic and write a review of the research topic. It is expected that 5-7 works (not assigned as course reading) from respected journals or edited volumes in the field will be used (three is the minimum). Books from respected academic authors are also acceptable. You should ask for help from me or the writing lab early in the semester if you are unable to locate appropriate reference materials. You should be prepared to explain the steps you have taken on your own before seeking the my help.
If you wish to interview a professional in the criminal law field as part of your research, please speak with me. An interview with a professional in the criminal law field can be used as 1 of your citations/research sources.
Length: 8-10 pages, not including cover sheet/references.
Formatting: Please double-space your paper and use standard margins. Standard APA guidelines apply. You can find a great APA formatting guide at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
May I suggest you start with an introduction & thesis statement like this? “Child trafficking is a significant global issue, with 150 million children world wide being trafficked into forced labor and sexual slavery (UNICEF, 2016). While the least developed countries have the highest populations of forced child labor, the United States saw a 35.7% rise in child sex trafficking in the year 2016 (UPI, 2017). It is widely accepted that poverty is the single largest factor for trafficking world wide, yet in the US, trafficking seems to know no socioeconomic bounds. What is causing the rise in child sex trafficking in the US and how prepared is the US to combat it?”
From here you would transition into what is child sex trafficking, how is it happening (lured on the internet, tricked in public, etc), who are the victims (average age, sex, socioeconomics, etc), what are the US sex trafficking laws and how they’ve developed over the last decade or two(the DOJ took a huge step last year, and in 2005 Bush created an anti-sex trafficking traveling law), and what resources does the criminal justice system have to help the victims and prevent more victims from happening (are we treating and rehabilitating more than we are punishing the victims now? How are we targeting those that intend to traffic). In each topic you can compare the US’ response to other countries to show how the US is better prepared or under prepared to handle the topic. You can compare & contrast between other countries’ situations and the US.