Choose one of the following major crime issues and conduct a comprehensive research paper that applies key concepts and theories from our course materials to analyze the issue from a criminal justice perspective.

CRJ 100 – TERM PAPER
Background
According to the NYPD, total major crimes in New York City spiked 22% in 2022, from 103,388
incidents in 2021 to 126,537 in 2022. This rise was driven by increases in six major crime
categories: rapes, robberies, felony assaults, burglaries, grand larcenies, and car thefts. However,
in June 2023, overall index crime was driven down by 3.9% compared to the same period a year
ago. New York City saw a drop in five of the seven index crime categories in June 2023, including
a 3.1% reduction in homicide, a 24.1% drop in rape, and a 9.2% decline in robbery.
Prompt
Choose one of the following major crime issues— rapes, robberies, felony assaults, burglaries,
grand larcenies, and car thefts —and conduct a comprehensive research paper that applies key
concepts and theories from our course materials to analyze the issue from a criminal justice
perspective.
(1) Introduce your crime topic (1 page)
a. Investigate the social context of this crime in America – use the UCR
i. Present statistics to depict trends in this crime over the past 10 years
ii. Discuss the offender and victim demographics (age, sex, race, ethnicity),
location demographics (where the incidents tended to occur), offense
characteristics (weapons, links to other offense types), and other relevant
information, as available
(2) Choose three (3) theories that can be used to explain the occurrence of the crime (1 page)
(3) Identify and describe two (2) current relevant policies, potential reforms or solutions
related to your chosen topic. In your analysis, consider the ethical, racial, and genderrelated dimensions of the issue. (1 page)
a. Example policies: increased police presence, CompStat, community policing, gun
control, surveillance cameras, educational campaigns, databases, etc. (you must
have citations for these programs – journal articles, government/NYPD website)
(4) Finally, provide your critical insights into how the criminal justice system, law
enforcement, and society at large can address or mitigate the challenges posed by this crime
issue. Tie these prevention recommendations to your theories. (1 page)
Formatting (APA)
o Cover page (see APA style)
o 4 pages, single spaced, 1-inch margins, Times New Roman (size 12)
o All citations should be in APA format