CRIMINAL LAW ESSAY

You will write a comprehensive APA Analysis paper utilizing the knowledge you have gained in CCJ 5500 Criminal Law. Please make sure to implement topics from units 1-6 (as directed and when applicable), the reading section, and the attend section into your final paper for the entire course. If you need support on how to formulate your APA Analysis paper, you may refer to your APA Template under the Resource tab or contact the CPS Librarians. Please refer to your grading rubric for guidance.

       I expect perfect APA technique. Minimum requirements for the essay is four (6) scholarly sources with at least one (1) peer -reviewed journal overall (one published within the last seven years). The word count should range between 2300 words not including the reference page.  Upon completion you will submit your essay through the Dropbox tab for evaluation.

       Assignment: Select one major United States Supreme Court criminal case which you find most interesting. The case you select should also reflect one you can adequately analyze in this essay, so read the parameters of the essay first. The case may NOT be from the Capstone Courses discussed in Complete exercises but may come from your textbook readings.  The essay is not designed to simply be a case briefing, although these are helpful and may be used for portions of your essay. For example, if a student chooses Miranda v Arizona, whereas the precedent requires anyone in custodial interrogation be advised of their due process rights, then the student will need to investigate further the actual state law violated, and in which state it happened, and the events leading up to the appeal. Research and scholarly journal articles are expected to ground the essay with a solid and scholarly foundation.    

Your essay must include:

1. An appropriate title page and introductive section


2. Identification of the perpetrator, the crime committed, and how motive, intent, or opportunity (if applicable) were shown in the criminal trial (Refer to Unit 2: Corpus delecti, elements of offense and Units 5 & 6: Elements of crimes)


3. An explanation of the defense used during trial (Alibi, excuse, justification, or procedural defense) [refer to Units 3 & 4]. Were the defenses effective? Why or why not?  If you were the defense attorney, what would you have done differently?


4. Describe the precedent(s) set in the Court’s decision. How did it affect future cases? Has the precedent been modified or does the precedent no longer hold? If you were a Supreme Court Justice in the case, how would you have ruled, and why? (See Unit 1 Stare Decisis and precedent).


5. A Reference Section in perfect APA format and style.

BOOK IS: CRIMINAL LAW TODAY SIXTH EDITION 

BY: FRANK SCHMALLEGER DANIEL E. HALL

THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE BELOW OF WHAT THE PAPER SHOULD LOOK LIKE.

Title of the Paper in Full Goes Here

Student Name Here

 University

Abstract

This is the abstract, which is typed in block format with no indentation. The abstract briefly summarizes your paper in 120 words or less. Through your abstract, your readers should be able to fully understand the content and the implications of the paper. Also, note that writing this section after the paper itself may be helpful. See section 2.04 APA for tips and more information on writing abstracts. This template was updated September 30, 2014.

Title of the Paper

Do not add any extra spaces between the heading and the text (you may want to check Spacing under Format, Paragraph in your word processor, and make sure that it is set to 0”). Instead, just double space as usual, indent a full ½ inch (preferably using the tab button), and start typing. The introduction should receive no specific heading because readers assume that the first section functions as your paper’s introduction. 

This template’s margins, page numbers, and running head location are set for you, and you do not need to change them. You must replace the running head placeholder text with an abbreviation of your own title, but you do not need to adjust the location of the running head. Writers do not need to place the running head a specific distance from the top of the page, though you should follow any instructor preferences.

After considering these formatting issues, you will need to construct a thesis statement, which lets readers know how you synthesized the literature into a treatise that is capable of advancing a new point of view. This statement provides readers with a lens for understanding the forthcoming research presented in the body of your essay (after all, each piece of literature should support and apply to this thesis statement).

Once you have established your thesis, begin constructing the introduction. An easy template for writing an introduction follows:

1.  Start with what has been said or done regarding the topic. 

2.  Explain the problem with what has been said or done.

3.  Offer a solution in a concise thesis statement that can be supported by the literature.

4.  Explain how the thesis brings about social change. 

APA Level 1 Heading

This text will be the beginning of the body of the essay. Even though this section has a new heading, make sure to connect this section to the previous one so readers can follow along with the ideas and research presented. The first sentence in each paragraph should transition from the previous paragraph and summarize the main point in the paragraph. Make sure each paragraph contains only one topic, and when you see yourself drifting to another idea, make sure you break into a new paragraph. Also, avoid long paragraphs (more than three fourths of a page) to help hold readers’ attention—many shorter paragraphs are better than a few long ones. In short, think: new idea, new paragraph.

This template and the basic course template have style tags for the heading styles. Click on any of the headings, then look at the drop-down Styles menu (click on the small arrow in the lower right Styles area of the Home toolbar) to see which style tag is listed. If you add new headings to a paper, type the heading then apply the style tag from the menu, and the correct APA style will be applied. You will need to type the heading in the correct case: title case for Level 1 and 2 headings and sentence case for Levels 3 and 4 headings.

Another APA Level 1 Heading

Here is another APA Level 1 heading. Again, the topic sentence of this section should explain how this paragraph is related or a result of what you discussed in the previous section. Consider using transitions between sentences to help readers see the connections between ideas. Below are a few examples of how to transition from one statement to another (or in some cases, one piece of literature to another):

1. Many music teachers at Olson Junior High are concerned about losing their jobs (J. Thompson, personal communication, July 3, 2004), largely due to the state’s recent financial cutbacks of fine arts programs (Pennsylvania Educational System, 2004).

2. Obesity affects as much as 17% of the total population of children, an increase which may lead to other chronic health problems (Christianson, 2004; Johnson & Hammer, 2003).

For more examples, see some of the transitions handouts on the Writing Center’s website.

APA Level 2 Heading

The Level 2 heading designates a subsection of the previous section. Using headings is a great way to organize a paper and increase its readability, so be sure to review heading rules on APA 3.02 and 3.03 in order to format them correctly. For shorter papers, using one or two levels is all that is needed. You would use the APA Level 1 style (centered, bold font with both uppercase and lowercase) and APA Level 2 style (left aligned, bold, both uppercase and lowercase). This template contains examples of APA’s four heading levels, plus built-in styles to use them easily. Remember that at least two headings on the same level are needed before the next heading level! For example, a paper must have at least two level 3 headings before a level 4 heading. 

APA level 3 heading. Note that you should write Level 3 and 4 headings in sentence case, meaning that only the first word and any proper nouns are capitalized. The number of headings needed in a particular paper is not set, but longer papers may benefit from another heading level, such as this Level 3 heading (which is an indented, bold, lowercase paragraph heading). 

APA level 3 heading. Again, if you choose to use Level 3 or 4 headings, at least two of each heading level should appear in the paper. Otherwise, if only one heading appears, your readers may question the need for a heading at all. If you find yourself questioning whether or how to use headings, consider consulting your instructor or committee chair for his or her input.

APA level 4 heading. One crucial area in APA is learning how to cite in academic work. Make sure to cite source information throughout your paper to avoid plagiarism. This practice is critical: you need to give credit to your sources and avoid copying others’ work at all costs. Look at APA starting at 6.01 for guidelines on citing source information in your text.

APA level 4 heading. You will want to include at least two of each kind of heading in your paper, hence this additional paragraph modeling effective heading usage. See below for further tips on using headings effectively.

APA Level 1 Heading

APA can seem difficult to master, but following the general rules becomes easier with use. The Writing Center also offers numerous resources on its website and by email to help. 

And so forth until the conclusion…..

APA Level 1 Heading

The conclusion section should recap the major points of your paper. However, perhaps more importantly, the conclusion should also interpret what you have written and what it means in the bigger picture. To help write your concluding remarks, consider asking yourself these questions: What do you want to happen with the information you have provided? What do you want to change? What is your ultimate goal in using this information? What would it mean if the suggestions in your paper were taken and used?

References

(Please note that the following references are intended as examples only.)

Alexander, G., & Bonaparte, N. (2008). My way or the highway that I built. Ancient Dictators, 25(7), 14-31. doi:10.8220/CTCE.52.1.23-91

Babar, E. (2007). The art of being a French elephant. Adventurous Cartoon Animals, 19, 4319-4392. Retrieved from http://www.elephants104.ace.org

Bumstead, D. (2009). The essentials: Sandwiches and sleep. Journals of Famous Loafers, 5, 565-582. doi:12.2847/CEDG.39.2.51-71

Hansel, G., & Gretel, D. (1973). Candied houses and unfriendly occupants. Thousand Oaks, CA: Fairy Tale Publishing.

Hera, J. (2008). Why Paris was wrong. Journal of Greek Goddess Sore Spots, 20(4), 19-21. doi:15.555/GGE.64.1.76-82

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2007). How to cite a video: The city is always Baltimore [DVD]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Name of program [Video webcast]. Retrieved from http://www.courseurl.com

Sinatra, F. (2008). Zing! Went the strings of my heart. Making Good Songs Great, 18(3), 31-22. Retrieved from http://articlesextollingrecordingsofyore.192/fs.com

Smasfaldi, H., Wareumph, I., Aeoli, Q., Rickies, F., Furoush, P., Aaegrade, V., … Fiiel, B. (2005). The art of correcting surname mispronunciation. New York, NY: Supportive Publisher Press. Retrieved from http://www.onewaytociteelectronicbooksperAPA7.02.com

White, S., & Red, R. (2001). Stop and smell the what now? Floral arranging for beginners (Research Report No. 40-921). Retrieved from University of Wooded Glen, Center for Aesthetic Improvements in Fairy Tales website: http://www.uwg.caift/~40_921.pdf