Identify a current problem in criminal justice and propose a new policy or program to address it. Provide a thesis and abstract with a summary of the proposed policy or program. How does it fit the definition of a program or policy? What is the specific need for it?
Your thesis statement should consist of a sentence or two that identifies the problem; the abstract is a follow-up paragraph or two that briefly describes your proposed program or policy and the desired outcome. Remember to include why this is a program or policy and the need for planned change.
It is important to be very direct and specific in presenting your planned program. The narrower your focus, the easier time you will have with the ensuing papers, in which you will work on drafting your policy or program. While you will have the opportunity to make adjustments in future weeks, it is important to use the guidance in the assigned Introduction to help you formulate your thesis and abstract. Review the stage requirements you will be required to do each week for planning purposes. The introduction to the Welsh and Harris text provides a good discussion of the seven-stage model of planned change for a new criminal justice program or policy. The checklist for each stage can be found in the appendix of the text.