Assignment: Part II Writing Practice: Coherence and Organization

* No references needed
* Only 2 pages

Police have a very difficult job in our society. While officers are allowed some discretion, the police still have rules that they must follow. In the U.S. Constitution, the Fourth Amendment highlights most of these rules, especially those dealing with search and seizure, which includes police activities such as arrest and “stop and frisk.”

Consider the first three steps of the Criminal Justice Decision Making Model, and think about the questions associated with each as you prepare to write your paper:

Step One: Define the problem (and the questions that need to be answered). Define, in detail, the rules for conducting a search and seizure, an arrest, and a stop and frisk.

Step Two: Gather evidence (law, policy, procedure, data) and evaluate for relevancy. Stop and frisk has become a hot-button issue in recent years. Examine the prevalence of stop and frisk in your state (or New York City, if data aren’t available for your state). Who is most often targeted?

Step Three: Weigh moral considerations and direct/indirect consequences. Were you surprised at who was targeted the most from this procedure? Why or why not?

Following Steps Four and Five of the Criminal Justice Decision Making Model, write a two-page essay in which you discuss in detail constitutional law police are required to follow. How should police conduct an arrest or a search? What about a stop and frisk? Regarding stop and frisk, what Supreme Court case(s) have allowed this procedure to continue? Do you think police should be allowed to do it? If so, why? If not, what would you like to see changed? While writing, be sure to appropriately use transitional sentences and complete the essay with proper structure.

Step Four: Write your proposal, using the above material.

Step Five: Balance your position by addressing alternatives and potential pitfalls.