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Criminal
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What is Criminal?

The study of criminal behavior sits at the intersection of law, sociology, psychology, and public policy, making it a subject examined across a wide range of disciplines and courses. Students in criminal justice programs, pre-law tracks, ethics courses, and even literature classes engage with questions about what constitutes criminal conduct, how society defines and responds to it, and what factors drive individuals to commit crimes. The topic is academically rich because it forces writers to reconcile legal definitions with moral, social, and institutional considerations, raising fundamental questions about justice, accountability, and the role of the state.

The papers archived under this topic reflect a broad range of approaches. Some take a policy and systems perspective, examining how human resources function within criminal justice institutions or how overcrowding affects crime rates and costs. Others focus on enforcement methods, such as intelligence-led policing, or on the evidentiary tools used in investigations, including forensic science. Theoretical angles are also well represented, with essays exploring punishment theories and ethical frameworks in legal and healthcare contexts. Literary and cultural analysis appears as well, with works like Native Son serving as a lens for examining crime, race, and society.

A strong essay on a criminal topic begins with a clearly scoped thesis that identifies a specific aspect of crime or the criminal justice system rather than attempting to cover the subject broadly. Evidence drawn from case studies, statutory frameworks, criminological research, or close textual analysis tends to carry the most weight, depending on the approach. The most common pitfall is conflating moral judgment with legal analysis — a compelling essay keeps those perspectives distinct while showing how they interact.

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Research Paper Undergraduate

Terrorist Financing Laws and Federal Enforcement Strategies

Terrorism Memo to the Department of Homeland Security: There are federal statutes on the books that can help address the way that terrorists finance their draconian operations. This document delves into the specifics of how financing can be cut off or at least addressed to some extent, enough to bottle up terrorist movements which of course require money. What is terrorist financing? Jeff Breinholt coordinated the Department of Justice Terrorist Financing Task Force in 2003, and he published an article explaining what the law is in the United States vis-à-vis terrorist financing. "Terrorist financing enforcement has emerged as a powerful means of disrupting…" those terrorist supporters in the U.S., and also "…those who use our financial system and generosity against us" (Breinholt, 2003, p. 1).

Essay Undergraduate

Labeling Theory and General Strain Theory in Criminology

This paper compares two theorists prominent in the field of criminal justice: that of Howard Becker and Robert Agnew. Becker was an advocate of social labeling theory; Agnew an advocate of social strain theory. The two criminologist's viewpoints are compared and contrasted over the course of the essay and the conclusion discusses the implications for social policy dealing with crime.

Criminal Law Purposes: Order, Punishment, and Deterrence

The central purposes of criminal laws are to keep order in society and diminish the harm people may cause to one another. Criminal laws produce a standard of conduct that all residents and citizens are held responsible…

Paper Doctorate

Ford Pinto Scandal: Corporate Ethics and Legal Accountability

This paper is about the Ford Pinto case. The case history is outlined, and then there is an assessment of the ethics of the situation. A number of different ethical frameworks are used to evaluate the case. Lastly, the criminal case history is outlined, including an assessment of the verdict.

Essay Doctorate

Crime Theories and the Sociological Perspective on Criminal Behavior

This paper explains crime and the sociological perspective of crime. The sociological perspective of crime takes into account the socially constructed factors that motivate criminal behaviour. Social learning theory and differential association theory of crime are based on sociological perspective of crime. Contemporary theories of crime are also explained with two of these being the leading ones, the rational choice theory of crime and socio-biological theory of crime. This paper explains crime and the sociological perspective of crime. The sociological perspective of crime takes into account the socially constructed factors that motivate criminal behaviour. Social learning theory and differential association theory of crime are based on sociological perspective of crime. Contemporary theories of crime are also explained with two of these being the leading ones, the rational choice theory of crime and socio-biological theory of crime.

Paper Undergraduate

John George Haigh Case: Forensic Evidence and Conviction

Very few cases sent the trend for what it takes to get an arrest or a conviction like the Haigh Case. Even though there was a ton of forensic evidence as well as financial theft paper trails implicating Haigh, he was convicted despite the absence of bodies because he burned them in acid. A much more recent case proves that forensic evidence and getting a body are not the end all, be all.

Research Paper Doctorate

Death Penalty in the U.S.: Crimes, Race, and Alternatives

Usually only the most severe crimes are punished by death. However, the definition of severe crimes varies with the historical time, the culture of the country applying it, its economical situation etc.

Research Paper Doctorate

Heroism and Change in Camus' The Plague: Rieux to Rambert

In the book The Plague by Albert Camus, the narrator calls Joseph Grand, a lowly clerk in the municipal office, a "hero," because he has the ability to quietly endure. The Plague takes place in the town of Oran during…

Paper Doctorate

Domestic Violence: Real Problem or Overstated Issue?

Domestic violence refers to the physical abuse or violence directed to a domestic partner or a spouse; it is the behavior pattern in a close relationship employed to uphold or gain control and power over an intimate partner. Domestic violence holds several severe impacts to the society. The establishment of social service agencies and domestic violence courts has trigged increased awareness of domestic violence. Victims of domestic violence, more than ever before increasingly report cases of domestic violence in a bid to get social services and support from agencies dealing with this type of social problem. The increased number of reported domestic violence cases has made it appear as though the statistics are overly exaggerated, but they are not. As a result, domestic violence is real social issue, and not exaggerated. This paper, therefore argues that domestic violence is a real problem that can be solved through several perspectives with a solution-based approach being the most feasible approach to the problem.

Research Paper Doctorate

Mencius and Xunzi: Human Nature in Classical Chinese Philosophy

Both these philosophers are part of the classical age of Chinese philosophy which occurred during the ending years of the Zhou or Chou dynasty. In Christian terms, this period is from 1045 BC to 256 BC.

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