CRM 219 Punishment & Reform
Dr. Ryder
Final Project: Images of Reform-Project (40 pts)
Criminal justice reform is once again a prominent issue in the United States and there currently exists a unique window of opportunity: a rare point of bipartisan cooperation with a variety of constituencies agreeing it’s time to make a number of changes to the justice system, including the United States’s bloated prison system. Despite an emerging consensus on the need for change, the way forward remains uncertain. Thus, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has commissioned you to design one reform relevant to how or why punishment is used in the United States.
Submit a concise 5-7-page paper (1,250-1,750 words) to persuade the Congress to accept your reform. Describe the philosophy/rationale of the reform and present its overall purpose and intended outcome. Address specific themes and ideas raised by Michelle Alexander in The New Jim Crow, as well as other authors we have read in the course and state how your reform speaks to those themes. Incorporate evidence from the assigned and supplemental course readings to contextualize and support your idea. In addition, include a complete reference list. Please be sure to include your name and number your pages. Be meticulous about proofreading every page!
Your proposal is due in my mailbox no later than 7 PM on December 15, 2015.
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