Assignment: Legal and Ethical Considerations for Offenders Paper
PSY 624 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric Overview The final project for this course is the creation of an evaluation report of treatment programs for violent and non-violent offenders and victims. Forensic psychologists are often called upon to provide expert testimony in the court system in determining the mental states of witnesses, victims, or the accused. They also suggest appropriate treatment for victims and offenders. This role requires appropriately addressing the psychological issues surrounding victimology and correctional psychology. While victimology emphasizes the identification and empirically based treatment of trauma-related victims, such as survivors of child, domestic, or sexual abuse, correctional psychology focuses on identifying and treating violent (e.g., those with assault or other violent crime charges) and non-violent offenders (e.g., those with substance abuse charges), including offenders that may also have been victims of trauma. In addition to accurately assessing and meeting the needs of victims and offenders, the forensic psychologist’s suggestions must also take into consideration legal requirements, including Supreme Court and lower court decisions, and ethical constraints specific to the court system. In the final project for this course, you will be asked to evaluate treatment programs that address the needs of victims and offenders within the legal system for their efficacy, legal admissibility, and feasibility, as well as their compliance with ethical guidelines and federal laws. Finally, you will include an aftercare plan for each target population.
The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three, Five, and Seven. The final submission will occur in Module Nine. In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes: Evaluate evidence-based treatment programs for offenders and trauma-related victims for their efficacy, admissibility, and feasibility Evaluate treatment strategies for offenders and trauma-related victims for their compliance with the ethical guidelines of a professional psychology organization Assess the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases and federal laws in promoting the psychological well-being of offenders and trauma-related victims within the legal system Create appropriate aftercare plans for offenders and trauma-related victims based on critical examination of services provided by state, local, federal, and professional agencies Prompt The final project for this course is the evaluation of treatment programs addressing three different populations: non-violent offenders (e.g., drug-related charges), violent offenders (e.g., assault), and trauma victims (, victims of abuse, assault, rape, etc.) for the purpose of informing family or criminal court decisions (e.g., family reunification, jail diversion) for each of the target populations. In this project, you will summarize forensic psychology treatment literature from the last five years for each of the populations. Based on your literature review, you will evaluate treatment programs for their efficacy, legal admissibility, and feasibility, as well as their compliance with ethical guidelines and federal laws. Finally, you will include an aftercare plan for each target population. Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed: I. II. Literature Review: Summarize forensic psychological treatment literature from the last five years for each of the target populations.
What are the most common psychological concerns among each population? Are these concerns specific to populations within the legal system, or do they share common concerns with other populations? Which treatments have been particularly effective in meeting the needs of each of the target populations? Are there treatments that have been effective in the general population that might benefit
the target populations, but are not admissible or feasible given the constraints of the legal system? a) Non-violent offenders [PSY-624-01] b) Violent offenders [PSY-624-01] c) Trauma victims [PSY-624-01] Legal and Ethical Considerations a) Compare and contrast ethical concerns related to the treatment of each of the target populations. For example, what ethical concerns do psychologists face in treating each of the target populations within the constraints of the legal system? Are there special considerations in addressing victims versus those who are incarcerated, or violent versus non-violent offenders? Are there certain ethical principles that apply to all three populations? Be sure to substantiate your claims with specific examples and guidelines from a professional psychology organization. [PSY-624-02] b) Discuss how the specific ethical guidelines of a professional psychology organization may have informed the treatment strategies for each of the three populations. Be sure to substantiate your claims with specific examples. [PSY-624-02] c) Compare and contrast federal laws related to the treatment of each of the target populations. How do these laws inform or constrain care options? Be sure to substantiate your claims with specific examples. [PSY-624-03] d) Assess the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases on the development and implementation of treatment programs for each of the target populations. How do these cases inform or constrain care options? Be sure to substantiate your claims with specific examples. 1. Non-violent offenders [PSY-624-03] 2. Violent offenders [PSY-624-03] 3. Trauma victims [PSY-624-03] III. Aftercare Plan: Now that you have had a chance to evaluate various treatment plans for their efficacy and feasibility, recommend appropriate aftercare plans for each of the target populations. In other words, discuss where the subject will be going and what the subject will be doing upon discharge, release, or completion of care. Be sure to justify your recommendations with specific research. a) Non-violent offenders [PSY-624-04] b) Violent offenders [PSY-624-04] c) Trauma victims [PSY-624-04] Milestones Milestone One: Draft of Literature Review In Module Three, you will submit a draft of the literature review (Section I), including all critical elements as listed above. The literature review will be four to five pages.
In the literature review, you will summarize forensic psychological treatment literature in the last five years for each of the target populations (non-violent offenders, violent offenders, and trauma victims). An article that addresses all target populations would be ideal, but it may be difficult to find. Focus on the major treatment areas for the target populations and how the treatments address the needs. There is a lot to cover in these topics, so finding articles that cover one or two populations or areas will allow for a more comprehensive approach. This draft should be as detailed as possible in order to allow the instructor to provide significant feedback. Please make sure to use peer-reviewed and academic sources for the literature review. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric. Milestone Two: Draft of Legal and Ethical Considerations In Module Five, you will submit a three- to four-page draft of the legal and ethical considerations (Section II), including all critical elements as listed above. . In this section, you will compare and contrast ethical concerns related to the treatment of each of the target populations. You will utilize information that you have researched and read for Milestone One. Focus on the critical elements provided above and concisely integrate these elements into your draft. This will incorporate the Supreme Court and federal laws that you have examined and discussed in the course thus far. This draft should be as detailed as possible in order to allow the instructor to provide significant feedback that you can use to improve your final submission. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric. Milestone Three: Draft of Aftercare Plan In Module Seven, you will submit a three- to four-page draft of the aftercare plan (Section III), including all critical elements as listed above. In this section, you will use what you have learned throughout the course and recommend an appropriate aftercare plan for each of the target populations.
You may conduct and include research on services in your area that you can recommend for your client. The development of an aftercare plan can often make or break an offender’s success upon release from prison or a program. Setting up your client with the best possible aftercare program is vital. Knowing the resources, having the connections, and knowing the procedures for getting an individual involved in programs is important. As with the previous two milestones, research is a vital component of your everyday job. You must know where to look for the most recent research on a topic, and you must be aware of the laws and/or resources pertaining to your clients in order to prepare the most effective aftercare plan possible. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Three Rubric. Final Submission: Evaluation Report In Module Nine, you will submit the evaluation report of treatment programs for violent and non-violent offenders and victims. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final project. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. The final submission will be graded using the Final Project Rubric. Deliverables Milestone 1 Deliverable Draft of Literature Review Module Due Three Grading Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric Five Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric 2 Draft of Legal and Ethical Considerations 3 Draft of Aftercare Plan Seven Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric Final Submission: Evaluation Report Nine Graded separately; Final Project Rubric Final Project Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your evaluation report must be 10–13 pages in length (plus a cover page and references) and must be written in APA format. Use double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Include at least six references cited in APA format. Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Literature Review: Non- Meets “Proficient” criteria, and Violent there is a clear student voice [PSY-624-01] woven throughout Literature Review: Violent [PSY-624-01] Meets “Proficient” criteria, and there is a clear student voice woven throughout Proficient (90%) Accurately summarizes forensic psychological treatment literature on non-violent offenders from the last five years Accurately summarizes forensic psychological treatment literature on violent offenders from the last five years Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Summarizes forensic Does not summarize forensic psychological treatment psychological treatment literature literature on non-violent offenders, but with gaps in accuracy or literature that is older than five years Summarizes forensic Does not summarize forensic psychological treatment psychological treatment literature on violent offenders, literature but with gaps in accuracy or literature that is older than five years Value 8 8 Literature Review: Victims [PSY-624-01] Meets “Proficient” criteria, and there is a clear student voice woven throughout Accurately summarizes forensic psychological treatment literature on trauma victims from the last five years Legal and Ethical Meets “Proficient” criteria and Considerations: Ethical draws well-informed, nuanced [PSY-624-02] connections between claims, examples, and ethical practice Accurately compares and contrasts ethical concerns related to the treatment of each of the target populations and substantiates claims with specific examples and existing ethical guidelines Legal and Ethical Considerations: Ethical Guidelines [PSY-624-02] Meets “Proficient” criteria, and discussion is well informed and integrates relevant theories and research Legal and Ethical Considerations: Federal Laws [PSY-624-03] Meets “Proficient” criteria and draws well-informed, novel connections between claims and examples Comprehensively discusses specific ethical guidelines of a professional psychology organization that may have informed the treatment strategies for each population and substantiates claims with specific examples Accurately compares and contrasts federal laws related to the treatment of each of the target populations and substantiates claims with specific examples Accurately assesses the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases on treatment programs for nonviolent offenders and substantiates claims with specific examples Supreme Court Cases: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Non-Violent draws well-informed, novel [PSY-624-03] connections between claims and examples Summarizes forensic psychological treatment literature on trauma victims, but with gaps in accuracy or literature that is older than five years Compares and contrasts ethical guidelines related to the treatment of the target populations, but with gaps in accuracy or detail, or does not substantiate claims with specific examples and existing ethical guidelines Discusses ethical guidelines that may have informed treatment strategies, but guidelines are not associated with a professional psychology organization, or discussion lacks detail or does not substantiate claims with specific examples Compares and contrasts federal laws related to the treatment of the target populations, but with gaps in accuracy or detail, or does not substantiate claims with specific examples Assesses the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases on treatment programs for nonviolent offenders, but with gaps in accuracy or detail, or does not substantiate claims with specific examples Does not summarize forensic psychological treatment literature 8 Does not compare and contrast ethical concerns 8 Does not discuss ethical guidelines that may have informed treatment strategies 8 Does not compare and contrast federal laws 8 Does not assess the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases 8 Supreme Court Cases: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Violent draws well-informed, novel [PSY-624-03] connections between claims and examples Accurately assesses the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases on treatment programs for violent offenders and substantiates claims with specific examples Assesses the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases on treatment programs for violent offenders, but with gaps in accuracy or detail, or does not substantiate claims with specific examples Supreme Court Cases: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Accurately assesses the impact of Assesses the impact of U.S. Victims draws well-informed, novel U.S. Supreme Court cases on Supreme Court cases on [PSY-624-03] connections between claims and treatment programs for trauma treatment programs for trauma examples victims and substantiates claims victims, but with gaps in accuracy with specific examples or detail, or does not substantiate claims with specific examples Aftercare Plan: Non- Meets “Proficient” criteria and Recommends appropriate Recommends aftercare plans that Violent uses industry-specific language to aftercare plans for non-violent are not appropriate for non[PSY-624-04] exhibit expertise offenders and justifies violent offenders, or does not recommendations with research justify recommendations with research Aftercare Plan: Violent Meets “Proficient” criteria and Recommends appropriate Recommends aftercare plans that [PSY-624-04] uses industry-specific language to aftercare plans for violent are not appropriate for violent exhibit expertise offenders and justifies offenders, or does not justify recommendations with research recommendations with research Aftercare Plan: Victims Meets “Proficient” criteria and Recommends appropriate Recommends aftercare plans that [PSY-624-04] uses industry-specific language to aftercare plans for trauma victims are not appropriate for trauma exhibit expertise and justifies recommendations victims, or does not justify with research recommendations with research Articulation of Submission is free of errors Submission has no major errors Submission has major errors Response related to citations, grammar, related to citations, grammar, related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization spelling, syntax, or organization spelling, syntax, or organization and is presented in a professional that negatively impact readability and easy-to-read format and articulation of main ideas Does not assess the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases 8 Does not assess the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases 8 Does not recommend aftercare plans 8 Does not recommend aftercare plans 8 Does not recommend aftercare plans 8 Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas Earned Total 4 100% PSY 624 Milestone Two Guidelines and Rubric: Draft of Legal and Ethical Considerations In Milestone Two, you will utilize information that you researched and read for Milestone One. For this milestone, you should focus on the critical elements provided in this document and concisely integrate these elements into your draft. This will incorporate the Supreme Court and federal laws that you have examined and discussed in the course thus far. Prompt: Submit a draft of the legal and ethical considerations (Section II), including all critical elements as listed below. In this section, you will compare and contrast ethical concerns related to the treatment of each of the target populations. Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed: II. Legal and Ethical Considerations a) Compare and contrast ethical concerns related to the treatment of each of the target populations. For example, what ethical concerns do psychologists face in treating each of the target populations within the constraints of the legal system? Are there special considerations in addressing victims versus those who are incarcerated, or violent versus non-violent offenders? Are there certain ethical principles that apply to all three populations? Be sure to substantiate your claims with specific examples and guidelines from a professional psychology organization. b) Discuss how the specific ethical guidelines of a professional psychology organization may have informed the treatment strategies for each of the three populations. Be sure to substantiate your claims with specific examples. c) Compare and contrast federal laws related to the treatment of each of the target populations. How do these laws inform or constrain care options? Be sure to substantiate your claims with specific examples. d) Assess the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases on the development and implementation of treatment programs for each of the target populations. How do these cases inform or constrain care options? Be sure to substantiate your claims with specific examples. 1. Non-violent offenders 2. Violent offenders 3. Trauma victims Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your draft of the legal and ethical considerations (Section II) must be submitted as a three- to four-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and sources cited in APA format. Critical Elements Legal and Ethical Considerations: Ethical Proficient (100%) Accurately compares and contrasts ethical concerns related to the treatment of each of the target populations and substantiates claims with specific examples and existing ethical guidelines Legal and Ethical Considerations: Ethical Guidelines Comprehensively discusses specific ethical guidelines of a professional psychology organization that may have informed the treatment strategies for each population and substantiates claims with specific examples Legal and Ethical Considerations: Federal Laws Accurately compares and contrasts federal laws related to the treatment of each of the target populations and substantiates claims with specific examples Supreme Court Cases: Non-Violent Accurately assesses the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases on treatment programs for non-violent offenders and substantiates claims with specific examples Supreme Court Cases: Violent Accurately assesses the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases on treatment programs for violent offenders and substantiates claims with specific examples Needs Improvement (75%) Compares and contrasts ethical guidelines related to the treatment of the target populations, but with gaps in accuracy or detail, or does not substantiate claims with specific examples and existing ethical guidelines Discusses ethical guidelines that may have informed treatment strategies, but guidelines are not associated with a professional psychology organization, or discussion lacks detail, or does not substantiate claims with specific examples Compares and contrasts federal laws related to the treatment of the target populations, but with gaps in accuracy or detail, or does not substantiate claims with specific examples Assesses the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases on treatment programs for non-violent offenders, but with gaps in accuracy or detail, or does not substantiate claims with specific examples Assesses the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases on treatment programs for violent offenders, but with gaps in accuracy or detail, or does not substantiate claims with specific examples Not Evident (0%) Does not compare and contrast ethical concerns Value 15 Does not discuss ethical guidelines that may have informed treatment strategies 15 Does not compare and contrast federal laws 15 Does not assess the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases 15 Does not assess the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases 15 Supreme Court Cases: Victims Articulation of Response Accurately assesses the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases on treatment programs for trauma victims and substantiates claims with specific examples Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization Assesses the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases on treatment programs for trauma victims, but with gaps in accuracy or detail, or does not substantiate claims with specific examples Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas Does not assess the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases 15 Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas 10 Earned Total 100% Survival Guide for PSY 624 – General Tips 1. I will use track changes and comments to edit your papers. If you do not know how this works, learn now! a. I’ve attached a few example video links to show you . Basically, it is the electronic version of the dreaded “red pen.” So it allows me to edit your papers electronically and make comments on your document for you to consider.
Important information for writing discussion questions and participation
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Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to
I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.
Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.
If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.
Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.
Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.
I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!
Hi Class,
Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.
Contact me if you have any questions.
Important information on Writing a Discussion Question
- Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
- There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
- Include in-text citations in your response
- Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
- Follow APA-7th edition
- Points will be deducted if the above is not followed
Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor
- A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
- Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
- Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
- Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
- Follow APA 7th edition
- Points will be deducted if the above is not followed
- Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
- Here are some helpful links
- The is a great resource