Notable Criminal Case
In this writing assignments students will be selecting a notable critical case that has likely received media attention. This assignment will help students think critically about motivation for the crime, its outcome and effects on others, as well as issues of media coverage. Students will include theoretical application to describe the criminal case and resulting victimization. This gives students an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge of the combination of crime, victimization and media coverage as issues we face in society.
Textbook: Wallace, H. & Roberson, C. (2018). Victimology: Legal, psychological, and social perspectives. 5th ed. Pearson publishing.
Note the following formatting standards, minimum requirements and resources:
• APA format
• Use a minimum of 4 outside sources.
o Wiki sources are not acceptable.
• Choose a notable criminal case (e.g., Karla Homolka, Susan Smith, Mary Winkler, OJ Simpson, etc.) whose case would likely have received media attention. If you cannot find articles regarding the case you have selected, you will need to select a different one.
Write a paper that addresses the following:
• Briefly describe what the offender did and information about the victim(s). This section should cover no more than 2/3 of the paper content.
• Apply at least 2 criminological theories or points of view that would describe the criminal case and victimization. These need to be from academic sources or scholarly articles. This section should cover no more than 1/3 of the paper content. Include any incidents of victim blaming in the media.
