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Instructions: Mandatory minimum sentencing requires that offenders serve a predefined term for certain crimes, commonly serious and violent offenses, and judges are bound by law to enforce them. Explain the reasons why there have been calls to repeal or reform mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Based on your findings, are you in favor of repealing mandatory minimum sentencing laws?
The assignment is due on or before Sunday at 11:59 pm EST. The assignment covers the material from the textbook(s) and the supplemental citations. Each student submission to the assignment must be a minimum of 2-3 full pages with APA 7th ed. citations and references. Each student submission MUST be uploaded as a Word Doc attachment.
All assignments must be written in an academic tone. Remember, an academic essay is not to be written like you are having a casual conversation with your friends. Do not include slang or foul language unless you are quoting someone.
Lengthy direct quotes are not permitted. Direct quotes, if used, must be limited to a few words. As university students, you are expected to paraphrase and cite. For more information on properly citing sources in your assignments please refer to the APA 7th edition manual. While the assignments are to include an examination of current research of a particular problem, they also need to include the students careful and informed analysis of the problem.
Remember each assignment must be submitted as a Word Doc attachment. You must use a 12 point Times New Roman font. Margins will also need to be 1-inch.
Each assignment will need to include the following:
An APA formatted title page.
The original question at the top of the essay (serves as the abstract).
The body of your response must be a minimum of 2-3 pages.
A reference page formatted to APA 7th edition.
A minimum of two current, scholarly references per assignment. Web sources can be used, though they should come from credible sources such as government agencies, academics, and private agencies with a strong reputation within the community they serve. Examples of peer-reviewed scholarly based journals include:
Journal of Criminology
Crime and Public Opinion
Journal of Criminal Justice and Public Policy
Justice Quarterly: JQ
Furthermore, do not use encyclopedias, dictionaries, newspapers (unless otherwise permitted), and popular magazines. It is important to remember that this is an undergraduate level class and you are required to submit undergraduate level work, which is backed up by academically credible material. If you have a question about the quality of a potential resource please email your professor.
You are encouraged to use the library to locate the needed material. Additionally, at the bottom of this syllabus is a list of acceptable organizations and groups found on the World Wide Web which you can use to find material for your assignments.
Quality of Response
No Response
Poor/Unsatisfactory
Satisfactory
Good
Excellent
Content (worth a maximum of 50% of the total points)
Zero points: The student failed to submit the final paper.
20 points out of 50: The essay illustrates a poor understanding of the relevant material by failing to address or incorrectly addressing the relevant content; failing to identify or inaccurately explaining/defining key concepts/ideas; ignoring or incorrectly explaining key points/claims and the reasoning behind them; and/or incorrectly or inappropriately using terminology; and elements of the response are lacking.
30 points out of 50: The essay illustrates a rudimentary understanding of the relevant material by mentioning but not fully explaining the relevant content; identifying some of the key concepts/ideas but failed to fully or accurately explain many of them; using terminology, though sometimes inaccurately or inappropriately; and/or incorporating some key claims/points but failing to explain the reasoning behind them or doing so inaccurately. Elements of the required response may also be lacking.
40 points out of 50: The essay illustrates a solid understanding of the relevant material by correctly addressing most of the relevant content; identifying and explaining most of the key concepts/ideas; using correct terminology; explaining the reasoning behind most of the key points/claims; and/or where necessary or useful, substantiating some points with accurate examples. The answer is complete.
50 points: The essay illustrates an exemplary understanding of the relevant material by thoroughly and correctly addressing the relevant content; identifying and explaining all of the key concepts/ideas; using correct terminology explaining the reasoning behind key points/claims and substantiating, as necessary/useful, points with several accurate and illuminating examples. No aspects of the required answer are missing.
Use of Sources (worth a maximum of 20% of the total points).
Zero points: Student failed to include citations and/or references. Or the student failed to submit a final paper.
5 out 20 points: Sources are seldom cited to support statements and/or format of citations are not recognizable as APA 7th Edition format. There are major errors in the formation of the references and citations. And/or there is a major reliance on highly questionable. The Student fails to provide an adequate synthesis of research collected for the paper.
10 out 20 points: References to scholarly sources are occasionally given; many statements seem unsubstantiated. Frequent errors in APA 7th Edition format, leaving the reader confused about the source of the information. There are significant errors in the formation of the references and citations. And/or there is a significant use of highly questionable sources.
15 out 20 points: Credible Scholarly sources are used to effectively support claims and are, for the most part, clear and fairly represented. APA 7th Edition is used with only a few minor errors. There are minor errors in references and/or citations. And/or there is some use of questionable sources.
20 points: Credible scholarly sources are used to give compelling evidence to support claims and are clearly and fairly represented. APA 7th Edition format is used accurately and consistently. The student uses above the maximum required references in the development of the assignment.
Grammar (worth maximum of 20% of total points)
Zero points: The student failed to submit the final paper.
5 points out of 20: The paper does not communicate ideas/points clearly due to inappropriate use of terminology and vague language; thoughts and sentences are disjointed or incomprehensible; organization lacking; and/or numerous grammatical, spelling/punctuation errors
10 points out 20: The paper is often unclear and difficult to follow due to some inappropriate terminology and/or vague language; ideas may be fragmented, wandering and/or repetitive; poor organization; and/or some grammatical, spelling, punctuation errors
15 points out of 20: The paper is mostly clear as a result of the appropriate use of terminology and minimal vagueness; no tangents and no repetition; fairly good organization; almost perfect grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word usage.
20 points: The paper is clear, concise, and a pleasure to read as a result of appropriate and precise use of terminology; total coherence of thoughts and presentation and logical organization; and the essay is error-free.
Structure of the Paper (worth 10% of total points)
Zero points: The student failed to submit the final paper.
3 points out of 10: Student needs to develop better formatting skills. The paper omits significant structural elements required for an APA 7th edition paper. The formatting of the paper has major flaws. The paper does not conform to APA 6th edition requirements whatsoever.
5 points out of 10: Appearance of final paper demonstrates the students limited ability to format the paper. There are significant errors in formatting and/or the total omission of major components of an APA 7th edition paper. They can include the omission of the cover page, abstract, and page numbers. Additionally, the page has major formatting issues with spacing or paragraph formation. Font size might not conform with size requirements. The student also significantly writes too large or too short of and paper
7 points out of 10: The research paper presents an above-average use of formatting skills. The paper has slight errors within the paper. This can include small errors or omissions with the cover page, abstract, page number, and headers. There could be also slight formatting issues with the document spacing or the font Additionally the paper might slightly exceed or undershoot the specific number of required written pages for the assignment.
10 points: The student provides a high-caliber, formatted paper. This includes an APA 7th edition cover page, abstract, page number, headers and is double spaced in 12 Times Roman Font. Additionally, the paper conforms to the specific number of required written pages and neither goes over or under the specified length of the paper.
