Topic: Locate Community Corrections departments in five different states. Do not use Florida. Include the URL of each agency, and be sure to name the state or county. Keep in mind that many community based programs fall within a state’s prison system. You must find the community based programs, not programs that are offered solely inside jails or prisons.
You may prepare a slide presentation or a paper on these five community corrections departments. Minimum number of slides= 20 (does not include Title slide, Abstract slide or Reference slide)
Minimum number of content pages= 6 (does not include Abstract, Title page or Reference page)
APA writing style must be used. Your sources must be cited using APA format. If you complete a slide presentation, your last slide(s) will contain your citations.
If you prepare a paper, you must include a title page and an abstract. These are two separate pages and are not included in the 6 pages of content. If you choose to complete a slide presentation, the title slide, reference slide, and the abstract slide are in addition to the minimum 20 slides.
Use the sample APA paper when formatting your own paper/slides. Review the APA Crash Course Module (Canvas) to assist you in formatting.
Your task will be to research these five departments in order to compare and contrast them. Your abstract may indicate that you are comparing and contrasting agencies for the purpose of determining if they have similar missions and programs in community based corrections. You may include Federal probation, but only as one of your five selections. Federal probation is standardized across the country, whereas state or county agencies are not.
Below are some suggestions for comparing and contrasting:
1. What is the agency’s organizational structure?
2. Is the agency run by the state or the county?
3. What is the mission of the organization?
4. What types of community based programs are offered in addition to standard probation?
5. Is there a cost for offenders to be supervised?
6. Is the department’s website easy or difficult to navigate?
7. Does the department’s website give comprehensive information to both offenders and non-offenders?
These are just a few topics you could look at when preparing your slide presentation or paper. There are other topics for consideration as you review each department.
Your conclusion should include which program(s) seems to be the most comprehensive. Is there one agency that stands out above the rest in its community based programs? Is there one that stands out as the worst? Again, these are just a few ideas to consider in your conclusion.