Your goal for the first stage of the assignment is to identify the community
corrections reform or innovation that will be the focus of your semester project. A reform or innovation
is any contemporary change or new approach to previous aspects of the community corrections system
meant to bring about improvement. Selecting a specialized, or innovative program intended to advance
public safety, justice and the well-being of individuals, families and communities will provide the
strongest foundation for the project.
Getting Started: Explore potential reforms you will study for the project by consulting a broad range
of information sources such as those provided below. It is important to choose a reform or innovation
that interests you because you will be devoting a great deal of time and energy to this project
throughout the semester. You should also confirm early on that you can find sufficient sources about the reform you are studying. Your selected reform must be related to community corrections.
Contact the professor or teaching assistant for guidance as needed and be responsive to the
feedback we provide you on assignments.
Examples: pretrial diversion programs, programs focused on cultural competence, reentry programs
(provided after release to the community, or “wrap around” services that begin during incarceration
and continue in the community), restorative justice programs, problem solving courts, volunteer or
mentoring programs, housing services, family-based programs, addiction services, gender responsive
programs and other innovative practices related to probation, parole, or intermediate sanctions
Potential Information Sources: Websites for non-governmental organizations and non-profit
agencies and associations such as: Urban Institute, Vera Institute for Justice, American Probation and
Parole Association, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, Equal Justice Initiative, Osborne
Association, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, The
Sentencing Project, EXIT: Executives Transforming Probation & Parole; government reports from
state or county community corrections agencies, federal agencies such as the National Institute of
Justice, or Bureau of Justice Statistics; major print or broadcast media outlets, or The Marshall Project
Requirements: Write a two-page description of the reform or innovation you will study throughout the
semester, typed in 12-point font, double spaced with one-inch margins. Include a minimum of four
different sources of information about the innovation or reform you will study. At least one source
must be a peer-reviewed research article published in an academic journal. Label all sources
that qualify as peer-reviewed research with the designation ** at the beginning of the reference
entry in your reference page. American Psychological Association (APA) citation standards should
be used in the written document, and to compile a list of sources titled References. The title and
reference pages do not count toward the page tota
