Criminal Justice

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  • At least 1,100 words
  • Times New Roman, 12 pt font
  • Formatting:
    • APA 7

Project Details:

 

The purpose of this assignment is for you to reflect on an important issue relevant to the Latina/o crime, criminal justice system, or social justice through substantive content. While throughout this course we discussed many topics related to our population of focus. The criminal justice system itself is informed by history, people, and the broader context in United States (U.S.) society. This assignment is meant to provide you exposure to content so you can reflect and contextualize many ideas and concepts informing the development and operation of the criminal justice system in the United States as it relates to Latinas/os.

To complete this assignment, you will select and read or watch one substantive piece of content and write a reflection paper related to that piece of content. This may include one documentary or long form YouTube video (minimum of 15 minutes in length), music video, podcast episode, journal article, music album, or other piece of content that is related to a criminal justice, criminology, social issue, or transnational topic.

The paper should be divided into two sections where you complete the following:

Section I (at least 750 words)

  • Provide a synopsis of the content
  • Discuss specific themes that you noted throughout
  • Discuss how it relates to the crime, the criminal justice system, and/or social justice and why the issue is important. How did you feel about the content you selected? What were your initial reactions? What is something you can take away from your experience?

Section II (at least 500 words)

  • Connect the content back to one or more components relates to Latina/o crime, criminal justice, and social justice that talked about in this class. How does it fit within the broader scope of Latinas and Latinos? Consider the content’s connection to social climate and context and how being exposed to that piece of content would benefit people who work or are impacted directly or indirectly by crime, the criminal justice system, and/or social justice. If your content focuses more so on experiences (e.g., music album or documentary discussing institutional racism), discuss why it is important for criminal justice practitioners or students to know about this, especially when considering Latinas and Latinos. Is diversity in criminal justice important? Why?
    • Often times, we think that the content we consume is not relevant to our education. Use this as an opportunity to connect back your content to specific concepts learned in class. Show me what you learned!
    • Make sure to include a link to the content on a separate reference page
      • You can submit a URL link, APA 7 citation, or anything that would help me find the content.

 

  • In order to present your ideas in a fully realized fashion, I recommend that the points in Section I are between 1 to 2 paragraphs each (i.e., 1-2 paragraphs for the synopsis, etc.). For Section II, I recommend at least 2-3 paragraphs. Doing so will help you move beyond the minimum word requirement to convey your detailed thoughts.
  • This assignment is meant to be as flexible as possible. The only requirement is that the piece of content be substantive. This means that if you are watching a documentary, it must be of documentary length. If you would like to listen to and reflect on an album, ensure it is the whole album and not just one song. If you choose a music video, ensure you examine different themes in the video and not solely the song. The idea here is that you are reflecting and connecting back a cohesive piece of content.

While you are free to select whatever content you would like, here are some personal recommendations (Disclaimer! Some of these have explicit content):

  • Documentary
    • See Netflix catalog
  • Youtube video:
    • The urgency of intersectionality | Kimberlé Crenshaw
      • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akOe5-UsQ2o&list=LLkX-FEEESmMrywkomB2nv9Q&index=17&ab_channel=TED
    • Music Video
      • This is America by Residente

        • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK87AKIPyZY&ab_channel=ResidenteVEVO
          • Think of this like This is America from Childish Gambino but through a Latina/o lens.
        • Frijolero by Molotov

          • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iJMOBcPQyg&ab_channel=MolotovVEVO
        • Los Mandados by Vicente Fernández (see translated lyrics if necessary)

          • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXbJzV6RORY&ab_channel=LOMBEIDAMACAS
        • Podcast (select an episode)
          • Latino USA
          • Radio Ambulante from NPR
        • Journal Article:
          • Caraballo, K., & Topalli, V. (2021). “Walking ATMs”: Street criminals’ perception and targeting of undocumented immigrants. Justice Quarterly, 1-31.
          • Orrick, E. A., Guerra, C., & Piquero, A. R. (2021). Criminal careers and immigration: an analysis of offending over the life course among homicide inmates in Texas. Crime & Delinquency.
          • Zaatut, A., & DiPietro, S. M. (2023). Revitalizing Ethnographic Studies of Immigration and Crime. Annual Review of Criminology, 6.