You are responsible for writing an in-depth analysis of an infamous real-life criminal through the lens of one or more theories given. You may pick both the criminal and the theory(ies) from the lists provided below.
Theories:
General Strain Theory
Social Control Theory
General Theory of Crime (aka: Self Control Theory)
Differential Association Theory
Cumulative Risk Model
Developmental Cascade Model
Expectancy Theory
Differential Association-Reinforcement Theory
Dual Systems Model
Coercion Developmental Theory
Callous-Unemotional Trait Theory
Criminals:
Bonnie and Clyde
John Wayne Gacy
Jeffery Dahmer
Osama Bin Laden
Charles Manson
Al Capone
Ted Kaczynski
Ted Bundy
Timothy McVeigh
Jim Jones
Jared Loughner
Jodi Arias
Scott Peterson
Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris
Aileen Wuornous
John Dillinger
Jesse James
Griselda Blanco
DB Cooper
George Kelly
Purpose of the Paper
The purpose of the paper is to weave together the life history and the theory(ies), pointing out the areas where the theory(ies) does a good job of explaining the criminal and where it does not.
Expectations
The paper is intended to a critical analysis, which means you must do extensive research on the criminal you choose, including their:
Childhood
Education
Family history
Noteworthy background experiences
Relationships
Significant choices they made
Mental health
Legal and medical history (as relevant)
Anything else that will lead to a robust analysis of the criminal
Note: In addition to the research on the person, you must have a strong familiarity with the theory(ies) you have chosen; this too will require extensive research. You have numerous theories to choose from
Professional Sources
In researching the criminal, you may struggle to find professional journals/books. For example, you are not likely to find many peer-reviewed journal articles or books published about most criminals, but practice diligence to assure the information you present is as reputable as possible. It is not advisable to use disreputable websites for background information.
Note: There is no minimum or maximum number of sources needed for background information on your criminal, however, in researching the theory(ies) you’ve chosen, you are to find no fewer than 3 professional sources (defined below).
Defining a Professional Source
A professional source, in this case, is any source that comes from an actual legitimate, academic or scientific source.
I recognize that there is some good information on the internet; however, most websites (unless academic/scientific in nature) are not reputable – at least not to scientific standards.
I have no problem with you accessing information using the internet as a tool, but I want to steer you away from poorly reliable/valid internet sources. I recognize that exceptions may arise; please verify those with me if you have any doubts/questions about their usability.
What I have in mind for “professional sources” really involves books, peer-reviewed journal articles, and other academic/scientific/reputable publications.
Requirements
This is a professional, APA style research paper. Therefore, it should have:
Title and reference pages
Running head
Citations
Additionally, your paper should look and read like a formal/professionally written paper; it is not appropriate to use first or second person language in such a paper. Your intended audience is professionals, so the paper should include terms, verbiage, content, and ideas that are aimed at a high level of training and understanding. You shouldn’t make it needlessly complex, but it also should not be aimed at a kindergarten audience either.
Writing skills are extremely important. Be extra diligent to avoid grammar and spelling errors. Contractions are not appropriate in professional papers, nor are colloquialisms or most abbreviations.
Organizing Your Paper
To maximize clarity and assure you have covered your responsibilities, I strongly suggest using this format:
Title Page
A Brief Introduction to the Criminal:
This need not be a completely exhaustive account of everything you learned about the criminal’s history, but enough of an overview so the reader gets a clear sense of who they are and how their life course is relevant to this paper.
A Brief Introduction to the Theory(ies):
Similar to above, this does not have to be an exhaustive account of everything your research taught you, but perhaps even as short as 1-2 paragraphs to introduce the basic concepts of the theory and how it/they account for criminal behavior.
Analysis and Synthesis:
The bulk of your paper will be the analysis and synthesis of the criminal and the theory(ies). Here, you want to introduce relevant components of the criminal alongside theoretical ideas and then use the research to account for how the behavior does or does not fit, as well as alternative explanations for the behavior.
You can critique the theory (again, use research to support), but keep the focus on the criminal you chose, their life, history, choices, crimes, etc. and weave it together with various aspects of the theory.
In this section in particular, the synthesis of information is the key! You are welcome to integrate other things we’ve covered in class if they are relevant (e.g. genetics, temperament, exposure to neurotoxins, etc.), but make sure the theory is the main lens through which you conduct your analysis.
Conclusion:
A short summary of how the theory(ies) did or did not stand up to scrutiny against the backdrop of your criminal.
Reference Page(s)
Note: In total, should be 5-7 pages long, not including title and reference pages. Use headings for each section for clarity and organization.
