Critical Criminologist

INSTRUCTIONS:

The purpose of these writing assignments is to allow you to apply the concepts of the theories presented in this class (and your textbook reading assignments) to real life situations.

These are NOT research papers! These assignments require that you apply the knowledge YOU have acquired in this class!

ASSIGNMENT LENGTH: MINIMUM OF 1,000 words (not including the heading, repeat of question, or works cited/bibliography page!) Microsoft Word will give you a word count. 1,000 words is approximately equal to two single-spaced pages of content.

If you do use any outside sources, you must use the APA format for properly citing your sources. Instructional links to properly using APA style can be found in Canvas in the Modules Section.

Your paper will be graded in accordance with grading rubric which can be found in the Modules Section of Canvas.

Optional Extra Credit – Due Sunday, April 30, 2017 (25 points)

In 2009, Jason Theus Cunningham walked into a Las Vegas branch of Bank of America, put a semiautomatic pistol to a teller’s head, and demanded money. He was apprehended by officers who found the loaded weapon and $2700 from the robbery in his car. Cunningham was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 5 years of supervised release for his crime.

In 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Bank of America for allegedly lying to investors, making false statements, and failing to perform due diligence in regard to risky mortgages, resulting in an estimated $100 million in losses to investors. The alleged behavior was described by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman as “a key cause of the housing collapse that crashed [the United States] economy.” The civil action allows the government to issue fines in an effort to recoup the loss of any wrongdoing.

How would a critical criminologist view these two cases and their outcomes?