Please keep the following in mind: You cannot use papers written for any other c

Please keep the following in mind:
You cannot use papers written for any other current or past courses that you have taken to complete this assignment.
Use of AI tools to generate content is prohibited:
In this course, you may not use AI tools such as ChatGPT and DALL●E 2, to generate content (including text, images, digital art, sound, video, and programming code) is strictly prohibited. You must complete all course assignments on your own or with your classmates. Using AI tools to create content for your assignments is a form of academic dishonesty and a violation of the University Honor Code.
You are to write in third person. Do not write in first person (I, me).
You do not need to include a ‘Title Page’ or ‘Abstract’ (they will not count toward page length), but you do need to follow all other directions with respect to citations and references as noted below.
Papers must be typed using 12pt TIMES NEW ROMAN FONT only with 1″ margins on all sides.
Any paper not submitted before the indicated due date/time will be considered late and will incur an automatic 10-point deduction which will repeat each day it is late. required in this course. The term paper will be worth 15% of your final grade. In this assignment you must:
Identify a topic/issue you are interested in that relates to criminology/criminal justice.  You should choose a topic that interests you. It could be a topic that you have discussed in other classes, or something you have seen on television that has piqued your curiosity. The topic must connect to at least one aspect of the criminal justice system and have an associated literature to that subject.  Utilizing the course text and readings and other peer-reviewed academic journals and/or books you are required to produce a research paper on your chosen topic.  Remember to always think and write from a criminological perspective.
Available theoretical and empirical criminological scholarly research/literature must be used to support your argument. Remember to always think and write from a criminological perspective. Students are expected to search online databases (which will be discussed in class) for articles that relate to their topic. It is expected that 4-6 works from respected journals or edited volumes in the field will be used. Books from respected academic authors are also acceptable. Students should ask for help from the instructor early in the semester if they are unable to locate appropriate reference materials. Please do not, under any circumstances, “google” your paper. You must consult sociological journals and books for scholarly writing relevant to your topic.
Guidelines for Research Paper
Citation Style and Supporting Evidence:
Papers should contain at least 6 scholarly referred journals and/or academic books, etc.
Any and all material that is not common knowledge or from personal experience is to be cited. Scholarly referred journals are typically viewed as more reputable and informative than trade sources (Newsweek, U.S.A., Today, Time, The National Inquirer, and so on). Cite all your sources using either ASA or APA citation style. If you aren’t familiar with the intricacies of citation styles, there are plenty of books in the bookstore that explain it, as well as numerous online sources. In addition, usually, professional journals outline citation style on the inside cover of each issue.
DO NOT COPY AND PASTE ANYTHING. I cannot stress this enough and for most students it is not an issue but let me say this: copying any text without proper in-text and respective reference page citations amounts to plagiarism.
Length:
The paper should be between 4-6 (double-spaced) full pages of text (this does not include the cover or reference pages).
Quality is always more important than quantity, but normally it will take around six pages to soundly complete this assignment.
You are to write in third person. Do not write in first person (I, me).