CJ 520 Milestone Three Guidelines and Rubric
Overview: For this assignment, due in Module Seven, you will submit the 2–3-page public needs and policy recommendations sections of your final project. This
milestone is really about drilling down more deeply into the “drivers” behind your recommendations to the selected departmental policy. As you write these
sections, you will identify what public needs are targeted by this policy and how well the policy addresses these needs. You will also need to examine how this
policy can be changed or improved upon to continue to address the identified need and how these changes can be accomplished while at the same time
improving upon the delivery of necessary criminal justice services.
Using the historical analysis of your selected public policy issue that you conducted in Milestone Two—as well as the research regarding the criminological theory
that best explains the development of the public policies related to it—ensure that you support your recommendations in this milestone with the relevant
criminological theory that you identified and describe how the theory or theories justify the appropriateness of the recommendations for the departmental
policy. Incorporate feedback from your previous two milestones into this final milestone, and incorporate feedback from this milestone into your final policy
recommendation report due in Module Nine.
Prompt: Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Needs: Now that you have analyzed the relevant state or federal policies and selected a related criminological theory, you will focus your analysis on your
selected departmental policy. In relation to the departmental policy, you will identify the needs of the public and the relevant branch of the criminal
justice system, and assess the extent to which the policy currently addresses these needs. Specifically:
a) Identify specific needs of the public and the relevant branch of the criminal justice system at the center of the departmental policy, justifying
your identifications.
b) To what extent does the departmental policy address these specific needs?
II. Policy Recommendations: In this section, you will provide specific recommendations to the existing departmental public policy to improve the delivery of
criminal justice services, justifying your recommendations, and examining the impact of the recommendations on the public and specific branch of the
criminal justice system. Be sure to:
a) Outline the specific aspects of the departmental policy you are targeting for your recommendations, justifying your selections. What specific
aspects of the departmental policy need improving and why?
b) What specific recommendations do you have to improve the existing departmental policy?
c) Justify how the recommendations will improve the delivery of criminal justice services. Provide specific examples.
d) How does criminological theory support your recommendations? How do the recommendations support the public’s needs? Consider how
theory justifies the appropriateness of the recommendations for the departmental policy.
e) What are the potential impacts of the departmental policy recommendations on the public and the relevant branch of the criminal justice
system? Provide specific examples. If the potential impacts are negative, how might you alter your recommendations?
f) How does your assessment of the potential impacts inform your departmental policy implementation? For example, how can you capitalize on
positive reactions in the implementation of the departmental policy? How might you create buy-in where there is possible conflict?
Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your Milestone Three submission needs to be 2–3 pages in length (excluding reference pages), double spaced, 12-point Times New
Roman font, one-inch margins, and citations in APA style. Cite your sources within the text of your paper and on the reference page.
Refer to the Criminal Justice Library Tips for assistance in finding and citing outside sources.
Please note that the grading rubric for this milestone submission is not identical to that of the final project. The Final Project Rubric will include an additional
“Exemplary” category that provides guidance as to how you can go above and beyond “Proficient” in your final submission.
Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Needs Improvement (80%) Not Evident (0%) Value
Needs: Identify Needs Identifies specific needs of the
public and the relevant branch of
the criminal justice system at the
center of the departmental policy,
justifying identifications with
selected criminological theory
Identifies needs of the public and
the relevant branch of the
criminal justice system at the
center of the departmental policy,
justifying identifications with
selected criminological theory,
but with gaps in logic, specificity
of needs, or justification
Does not identify needs of the
public and the relevant branch of
the criminal justice system at the
center of the departmental policy,
justifying identifications with
selected criminological theory
11.5
Needs: Address Needs Assesses the extent to which the
departmental policy addresses
the needs, justifying assessment
with criminological theory
Assesses the extent to which the
departmental policy addresses
the needs, justifying assessment
with criminological theory, but
with gaps in detail, logic, or
application of theory
Does not assess the extent to
which the departmental policy
addresses the needs, justifying
assessment with criminological
theory
11.5
Policy
Recommendations:
Policy Targeted
Outlines the specific aspects of
the departmental policy that will
be targeted, justifying selections
Outlines the aspects of the
departmental policy that will be
targeted, justifying selections, but
with gaps in detail, logic, or
specificity
Does not outline the aspects of
the departmental policy that will
be targeted, justifying selections
11.5
Policy
Recommendations:
Recommendations
Proposes specific
recommendations to improve the
existing departmental policy
Proposes recommendations to
improve the existing
departmental policy, but with
gaps in detail, logic, or specificity
Does not propose
recommendations to improve the
existing departmental policy
11.5
Policy
Recommendations:
Improve Delivery
Justifies how the
recommendations will improve
the delivery of criminal justice
services, providing specific
examples
Justifies how the
recommendations will improve
the delivery of criminal justice
services, providing specific
examples, but with gaps in detail,
logic, or support
Does not justify how the
recommendations will improve
the delivery of criminal justice
services, providing specific
examples
11.5
Policy
Recommendations:
Appropriateness
Justifies the appropriateness of
recommendations in meeting the
public’s needs, using
criminological theory
Justifies the appropriateness of
recommendations in meeting the
public’s needs, using
criminological theory, but with
gaps in detail, logic, or application
of theory
Does not justify the
appropriateness of the
recommendation in meeting the
public’s needs, using
criminological theory
11.5
Policy
Recommendations:
Potential Impacts
Evaluates the potential impacts of
the departmental policy
recommendations on the public
and relevant branch of the
criminal justice system, providing
specific examples, and explains
how recommendations may be
altered based on evaluation
Evaluates the potential impacts of
the departmental policy
recommendations on the public
and relevant branch of the
criminal justice system, and
explains how recommendations
may be altered based on
evaluation, but with gaps in
detail, logic, or support
Does not evaluate the potential
impacts of the departmental
policy recommendations on the
public and relevant branch of the
criminal justice system, providing
specific examples
11.5
Policy
Recommendations:
Inform Implementation
Draws informed conclusions on
implementation strategies based
on assessment of potential
impacts of the departmental
policy
Draws conclusions on
implementation strategies, but
conclusions have gaps in detail or
logic
Does not draw conclusions on
implementation strategies, based
on assessment of potential
impacts to the policy
11.5
Articulation of Response Submission has no major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, or syntax
Submission has major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, or syntax that negatively
impact readability and
articulation of main ideas
Submission has critical errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, or syntax that prevent
understanding of ideas
8
Total 100%