Assignment:
The Political Process and Crime Control Policy
Who has the most influence on crime control policy? The president? The governor? Our representatives? Chapter of Criminal Justice Policy, “Street-Level Bureaucracy:From Policy to Practice” takes us from theory to reality. Arsneault states,
“Without someone to implement it, policy is nothing more than words on a page. Furthermore, what is written as policy is often more theory than reality, because implementing a policy at the street-level is seldom as neat and clean as it appears on the page.”.
First, select a crime control policy (e.g., the three-strikes law, legalization of recreational use of marijuana, combatting terrorism and the
Patriot Act, gang initiatives, or gun control, etc.). In your paper:
- Summarize the key elements of the selected crime control policy.
- Explain the political process that sets the foundation for the selected crime control policy.
- Examine the role of the federal government when it comes to formulating crime control policy.
- Discuss how the U.S. Congress influences crime control policy of the states and ensures consistency of laws among the states (Note: Traditionally, crime control legislation falls under state legislatures. There are articles on various policies in the Arsneault, 2014.)
Write your answer in 3 to 5 pages in APA FORMAT and also include references.