Statistical Analysis
[WLOs: 1, 2, 4, 5] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4]
For this assignment, you can choose to either create a PowerPoint presentation or write a report depicting your analysis of historical crime data for a specific category of crime or criminal issue. Focus your research on one component of the criminal justice system (i.e., law enforcement, courts, or corrections). The data and charts you develop may be used in your Final Paper. For this assignment, you will
- Present national data and trends based on the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting(Links to an external site.) and/or the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ Data Collection: National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) (Links to an external site.); another comparable nationally recognized database, such as The Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool on the U.S. Department of Education’s The Tools You Need for Campus Safety and Security Analysis (Links to an external site.); or, for an international perspective, you may present data available at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s Crime & Criminal Justice (Links to an external site.) web page.
- Present graphical statistical crime data for a specific category of crime from three comparably sized cities, counties, or states from three different regions of the country (e.g., Indianapolis, Austin, and San Francisco, etc. This information should be found on official government websites.)
- Develop questions you would like to address based on the data you retrieved. (Note: You do not have to answer these questions for this assignment.) What crime prevention programs or initiatives are available to potentially address the crime or criminal justice issue? (Note: You are working through Step 18 in Crime Analysis for Problem Solvers in 60 Small Steps.(Links to an external site.))
If you choose to create a PowerPoint presentation, your PowerPoint presentation must be a minimum of 10 slides long and must graphically display the statistical data developed for three comparable cities, counties, or states. Your presentation must incorporate national statistics for comparison. Your assessment may be in bullet or paragraph format and must be provided in the notes section of the presentation. Make sure you standardize your data (usually 1:1000; 1:10,000; or 1: 100,000) and incorporate the scale in a key for each chart.
You may wish to include visual enhancements in your presentation. These may include appropriate images, a consistent font, appropriate animations, and transitions from content piece to content piece and slide to slide. (Images should be cited in APA Style (Links to an external site.) as outlined by the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.). Students may wish to use the following “Finding Non-Copyrighted Images for Presentations” (Links to an external site.) guide for assistance with accessing freely available public domain and/or Creative Commons licensed images.) Top Ten Slide Tips (Links to an external site.), PowerPoint 2010 (Links to an external site.) and the Simple Rules for Better PowerPoint Presentations (Links to an external site.) web pages provide useful assistance with creating successful PowerPoint presentations.
If you choose to write a report, graphically display the statistical data developed for three comparable cities, counties, or states. Incorporate national statistics for comparison. You must include an introduction that presents the focus of the project for analysis. Your report must be at least five pages in addition to the title page and references page. Your assessment may be in bullet or paragraph format below the graphic display. Make sure you standardize your data (usually 1:1000; 1:10,000; or 1: 100,000) and incorporate the scale in a key for each chart.
The Statistical Analysis paper or presentation
- Must be at least five double-spaced pages (if writing a paper) or at least 10 double-spaced slides (if creating a presentation) in length (not including title and references pages or slides) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA Style(Links to an external site.) or How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation (Links to an external site.)
- Must include a separate title page or slide with the following:
- Title of paper, project, etc.
- Student’s name
- Course name and number
- Instructor’s name
- Date submitted
For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.).
- Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice(Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
- Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
- For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions(Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources.
- Must use at least three scholarly, peer-reviewed, and/or credible sources in addition to the course text.
- The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources(Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
- Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper(Links to an external site.)
- Must include a separate references page or slide that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List(Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.
Carefully review the grading rubric below for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.
Description:
Total Possible Score: 15.00
Present Statistical Crime Data That Focuses on One of the Components of the Criminal Justice System
Total: 4.00
Distinguished – Presents statistical crime data on one specific component of the criminal justice system using standardized ratios. The data is understandable and clearly presented.
Proficient – Presents statistical crime data on one specific component of the criminal justice system using standardized ratios. The data is understandable, but slightly unclear or minor information is missing.
Basic – Presents statistical crime data on one specific component of the criminal justice system using standardized ratios. The data is not easily understandable, is unclear, or is missing relevant information.
Below Expectations – Attempts to present crime data on one specific component of the criminal justice system using standardized ratios; however, the data presented is not understandable, is entirely unclear and is missing significant information.
Non-Performance – The statistical crime data that focuses on one of the components of the criminal justice system is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the assignment instructions.
Presents Graphical Statistical Data Developed For Three Comparable Cities, Counties, or States
Total: 4.00
Distinguished – Presents statistical crime data for a specific category of crime using standardized ratios across all three cities, counties, or states. The data is understandable and clearly presents a comparison across all three comparable locations.
Proficient – Presents statistical crime data for a specific category of crime using standardized ratios across all three cities, counties, or states. The data is understandable, but a comparison across all three comparable locations is slightly unclear.
Basic – Presents statistical crime data for a specific category of crime of three cities, counties, or states. The data is not easily understandable, and a comparison across three localities is unclear.
Below Expectations – Attempts to present statistical crime data of at least two cities, counties, or states; however, the data presented is not specific to a category of crime, the comparison across three localities is entirely unclear, and the locations are not comparable.
Non-Performance – The report that graphically displays the statistical data developed for three comparable cities, counties, or states is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the assignment instructions.
Develops Questions Based on the Presented Data
Total: 4.00
Distinguished – Develops specific and detailed questions that are based on the presented data.
Proficient – Develops questions that are based on the data presented but the questions are slightly underdeveloped.
Basic – Develops questions that are loosely based on the data presented and/or the questions are underdeveloped.
Below Expectations – Attempts to develop questions that are based on the presented data; however, the questions are significantly underdeveloped.
Non-Performance – The questions are either nonexistent or lack the components described in the assignment instructions.
Written Communication: Control of Syntax and Mechanics
Total: 0.75
Distinguished – Displays meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains no errors and is very easy to understand.
Proficient – Displays comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains only a few minor errors and is mostly easy to understand.
Basic – Displays basic comprehension of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains a few errors which may slightly distract the reader.
Below Expectations – Fails to display basic comprehension of syntax or mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains major errors which distract the reader.
Non-Performance – The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.
Written Communication: APA Formatting
Total: 0.75
Distinguished – Accurately uses APA formatting consistently throughout the paper, title page, and reference page.
Proficient – Exhibits APA formatting throughout the paper. However, layout contains a few minor errors.
Basic – Exhibits limited knowledge of APA formatting throughout the paper. However, layout does not meet all APA requirements.
Below Expectations – Fails to exhibit basic knowledge of APA formatting. There are frequent errors, making the layout difficult to distinguish as APA.
Non-Performance – The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.
Written Communication: Page Requirement
Total: 0.75
Distinguished – The length of the paper is equivalent to the required number of correctly formatted pages.
Proficient – The length of the paper is nearly equivalent to the required number of correctly formatted pages.
Basic – The length of the paper is equivalent to at least three quarters of the required number of correctly formatted pages.
Below Expectations – The length of the paper is equivalent to at least one half of the required number of correctly formatted pages.
Non-Performance – The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.
Written Communication: Evidence and Sources
Total: 0.75
Distinguished – Demonstrates consistent use of reliable, appropriate sources and/or evidence to support ideas that are situated within the discipline and genre of the writing.
Proficient – Demonstrates mostly consistent use of reliable sources that are appropriate to the discipline and genre of the writing. Sources offer some support to the ideas in the writing.
Basic – Demonstrates somewhat inconsistent use of sources that are mostly reliable to the discipline and genre of the writing. Sources offer little support to the ideas in the writing.
Below Expectations – Inconsistently utilizes sources and/or evidence that may be unrelated and offer little support to the ideas in the writing.
Non-Performance – The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.