Criminal Investigations – Assignment 3

Assignment 3: The Big Stage!

In the United States, both the federal government and the states have authority to indict for criminal wrongdoing. The federal government and each state have their own criminal statutes, court system, prosecutors, and police agencies. Use your textbook, the Internet, and / or Strayer Library to research articles on crime trial, prosecutor, and criminal investigator.

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

1. Put yourself in the role of a prosecutor and explain the importance of the final report to the prosecution of a case. Further, analyze the possible impact of poorly completed final reports on the prosecution of a case.
2. Review Figure 21.1, The Use of Evidence in the Stages of the Criminal Justice Process, in Chapter 21 of the text and specify the manner in which each stage of the criminal justice process helps to build a successfully litigated action. Provide a rationale to support the response.
3. Define a criminal investigator’s role in preparing a case for court. Analyze the manner in which the investigator cooperates with the prosecutor to enhance the courtroom presentation.
4. Differentiate not guilty and acquitted. Give your opinion as to whether or not an acquittal means that the investigator failed. Support the position.
5. Predict one to two (1-2) changes that will take place in criminal investigation in the next twenty (20) years. Provide a rationale to support the response.

6.     Use at least two (2) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar type Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

REQUIRED STUDENT BOOK:

Hess, K. M., & Orthmann, C. H.(2013). Criminal investigation(10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth Publishing / Cengage Learning.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Describe the major components of and responsiblities involved in the investigative process.
• Recommend improvements to the criminal investigation process in selected areas.
• Predict changes that will take place in criminal investigation in the next twenty (20) years.
• Evaluate the role of the criminal investigator in preparing evidence for presentation and courtroom testimony.
• Use technology and information resources to conduct research in the criminal investigation process.
• Write clearly and concisely about the criminal investigation process using proper writing mechanics.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.