Topic: Recidivism rate of Juvenile offenders, are transferred juveniles punished more or less harshly than juveniles who remain in the juvenile court.

Paper details: This week’s Assignment will require you to develop an abbreviated version of a formal research proposal on a hypothetical topic related to criminal justice. In your Unit 2 Discussion Board, you presented your topic choice and had it approved by the instructor. A full research proposal includes four core sections: the introduction, the literature review, the methodology, and the conclusion. The literature review should include the first two sections of this proposal (the introduction and literature review). The Final Assignment will expand upon the literature review to include all four sections of the final research proposal (the introduction, literature review, methodology, and conclusion); it is due in Unit 5. Plan your time accordingly as the Final Essay Exam is also due in Unit 6. The purpose of these Assignments is to take everything learned in this course, and apply those skills and techniques to the study of a real issue or problem in criminal justice. Resource: “Choosing a Topic” from KU Writing Center. Resource: “Writing a Literature Review” from KU Writing Center. Your Assignment should meet the following criteria: Clearly identify the topic of the paper and the specific research question that will be answered through the research project. Discuss why the topic or issue is important to study, and who would benefit from the findings. In other words, how is the proposed study socially, personally, or psychologically relevant. Use scholarly research to support the arguments. Analyze current, scholarly research that has already been conducted on your topic (also known as a literature review). Include the following in your introduction and literature review: Introduction should be between 2–3 pages and include the following: A description of the problem and why it is important to study; The concepts associated with the research (for example: the death penalty and deterrence; peer association and juvenile delinquency; community-oriented policing strategies and crime; probation programming; and recidivism); A discussion of the theoretical considerations or assumptions relevant to the issue (for example: social-learning theory claims XYZ about peer relationships and delinquency); The research hypothesis (or hypotheses); The general approach to the research (for example: survey research, field research, secondary data analysis, program evaluation, etc.); and, The overall goal or purpose of the research (for example, improving juvenile justice programs, saving money, reducing crime, etc.). The Literature Review section should be between 2–3 pages. This section includes a summary of previous studies that have examined the topic of your research proposal. For example, a study of peer associations and juvenile delinquency would include a review and summary of current and credible research articles that have examined this issue. Use at least five current, scholarly articles in the literature review section. All sources must be scholarly. Scholarly research generally comes from peer-reviewed journal articles, books, or government-sponsored research reports. Any information that cannot be verified is not considered scholarly (Wikipedia™, Answers.com™, etc.). Most websites are not scholarly sources. Most magazine articles are not scholarly. If you are unsure, e-mail the instructor to discuss the resource. Look for resources that are current – those published within the past 5 years would be considered current. Older materials may be used in the proposal to develop the ideas, theoretical discussion, etc. However, the literature review section must include at least 5 scholarly articles that have been published within the last 5 years. All references should be in APA format. Include only those articles that support the logic of the argument and/or the proposed research methods. For instance, if interested in studying juvenile delinquency; the review would include studies on that topic, not domestic violence. Discuss recent developments and potential avenues for new research. Review the discussion and conclusion sections of most scholarly articles – the authors will identify ways to improve and/or expand research of a particular issue. Using the information is a good way to come up with unique research ideas. Include a title page and page numbers. Adhere to APA format for references and formatting. The Unit 3 Assignment should be between 4–6 pages long, not including the title and reference page, double-spaced, with APA formatting. You may consult the Kaplan Online Library, the internet, the textbook, other course material, and any other outside resources in supporting your task, using proper citations in APA style.