How to Write an Expository Essay in Criminal Justice: Gather Wits

Criminal Justice is not a subject students may master by watching related soap-operas and movies. However, there they can also notice a few tips only on this matter. Note, first of all, it is all about studies concerning justice to people who commit the crime, to those who suffered from their offenders, and finally, it is a set of strategies to prevent those crimes. Thus, professors who want to check the students’ awareness of this subject assign them to write an expository essay. Here comes another pitfall, a misunderstanding of the definition of such an essay. But, do not hurry to write your paper off as lost, there are only a few tips to know about that help to get an A-grade. And, here is a guideline for desperate students to all that matters.

Choose the Type of an Expository Essay in Criminal Justice

What a path of the least resistance without unexpected surprises? You might have felt ready to start writing an expository essay but here come its types. Nevertheless, it is considered an advantage because students have more options at hand, and somehow some of them are easy to handle. As of now, there are 5 major categories:

Cause and Effect. First off, it deals with the cause of any event and then its effect on other objects. The example, ‘Sexual Harassment at Schools’ a student can speak of the events that caused the harassment and then explain how they affected other students who study there.

Descriptive. Describe the situation, product, service, event. ‘Women Domestic Abuse’, here you can describe what women face such situations, what are the result, and what are the reasons for such behavior.

Comparison or else called Compare/Contrast essay. ‘Crimes within healthy and mentally ill people’, contrasting and comparing can involve the choice of punishment for both, the rate of committed crimes, so on.

Process. Explain the process of something. ‘How human rights are protected in the Middle-East Countries’, speak of what strategies leaders follow to establish standard regulations that protect citizens.

Problem and Solution. ‘Kidnapping in the USA’, a student can emphasize this problem and provide a professor with his vision on solving such events.

Note, it does not matter what category you choose if you have enough motivation to write an essay. But a small tip for beginners, if you have enough ideas and materials, try to play with Contrast and Compare essay as far as it perfectly fits those students who want to persuade the audience or impress it.

How to Write an Expository Essay in Criminal Justice: Do’s and Don’ts

Before you start impressing your supervisor, make sure you are on the same page with him. It concerns the structure and composition rules. Check the essential points to pay attention to before writing an expository essay.

• One – The same as you may want to tell something your friend and provide him with details, the same an expository essay takes a similar purpose, and there will be an event and its details. Start with a thesis, and continue with details involving supporting clues and facts.
• Two – It is composed of a maximum of 5 paragraphs. They are the introduction, 3 main body parts maximum, conclusion. If you are sure to provide a professor with enough information and evidence, you may cut down the number of main body parts.
• Three – Write in the third person. As far as this type of essay requires a detailed description of particular events or occurrences, there should be fewer or none I, you sentences.
• Four – Count the number of words. It encompasses 500 up to 800 words only. Do not write less or more, both factors radically affect the grade.
• Five – Avoid slang. Criminal Justice has nothing to do with jokes or slang. Your language should be academical.
• Six – Overview of your references. Harvard, Chicago, APA are some of the most trusted ones and there are various online services where you have to input the title only, and a system automatically generates your ready reference.

Finally, mind your terminology vocabulary. You should possess a minimum of 5 terms per your 800 words essay. It shows your proficiency, and a professor understands that you read materials or visited classes.

Let’s move on to the most complicated stage of making your expository essay in Criminal Justice stellar, a topic. Dipping into the future, please relax, this subject can offer a wide range of interesting topics to write on.

Plenty of students omit the stage of creating a clean-cut scheme of the structure. This is where they may cut down a few points of their grade. Usually, there is nothing hard, you have to follow the formula of Thesis – Introduction – Body-Body-Body – Conclusion. But, for the top results, there is everything in detail for you.

Choose Your Topic

This guide will provide you with a list of topics for an expository essay in Criminal Justice. Keep in mind, it is an approximate list for your writing. Another option is that you can find other topics online or rely on the materials you use in the studying process. In fact, any topic covered during the classes can be considered a material to focus your essay on.

• Terrorism in the USA: Are There Ways to Minimize It Within States?
• Domestic Abuse: How the Internet and Television Do Encourage People to Insult Beloved Ones?
• Children’s Violence at Schools: Cause and Solution;
• Nursing Homes: A Place Where Offenders Punish Elder People;
• Crime Is Paid by the Government: Observations and Thoughts;
• Fake ID or How You Can Buy Alcohol Being Underaged;
• Child Soldiers in Countries of the Third World;
• Illegal Drug Distribution;
• Gun Control;
• Racism and Its Punishment;
• Intolerance of Sexual Orientations and the Measures to Prevent It;
• Can Prisons Educate Offenders?
• The Death Sentence Should Be Banned: What States Do Still Organize This Measure?

Also, a student can check with his professor the list of possible topics and get a syllabus where such information is stored. Otherwise, ask the graduates who have previously written this type of essay and who can recommend tips.

Thesis and Hook

This pair of best friends may even exist separately but you cannot skip writing a thesis. What is this? It is a stage or part of the essay where you prepare a reader for acknowledgment of your work. There will be a few ideas or two-three sentences that should help a professor understand on what he will spend his precious time. For instance, ‘The existence of child soldiers seems unbelievable but the African and Asian countries used to hire such unskilled warriors and teach them how to kill. Today, this practice can still be found and their salaries may impress even people with high-paying capacity.’

Then, let’s go for a hook.

The same as you cannot sometimes resist eating chocolate, the same a professor or a reader can get hooked on reading your essay. At any time possible, try to make a joke but be careful Criminal Justice is not a subject to make fun. Attach it only where it will be relevant. If your topic about funny laws, write something like this, ‘Have you known that in China you cannot reincarnate without governmental permission? But, Switzerland thinks a few moves ahead and may surprise women and children.’ A reader may get an extreme desire to know what Switzerland laws look like.

Main Body

If your main body consists of three paragraphs, limit each to one idea and one or more supporting clues. Limit the connecting words per paragraph such as To my mind, I think, etc because the evidence is what really matters. If you speak of the terrorism in night clubs, attach the dates and facts of the scariest attacks. If possible, try to investigate the solution and cause. One hint, most of the recent attacks in the clubs happened due to the intolerance of some people to the choice of others such as sexual orientation preference. Point this fact, and if possible find the comments from families who suffered in such attacks. This information will help to understand whether there were any government measures to support families and help them in the recovery treatments.

Besides, it is not bad to follow the popular tactic of asking yourself questions.

• Were My Statements True? Can I Prove Them?
• What Field of Criminal Justice Does My Topic Relate To?
• Can I Persuade a Reader of My Ideas?
• Do I Have Enough References?
• Do I Protect Offenders in My Essay?
• Do I Follow the Academical Requirements?
• Does My Information Look Interesting or Boring?

It can be anything for boosting your firmness about the selected topic.

Mother-Conclusion

If previous stages were correctly formulated, your conclusion will just accumulate the thesis and results from the main body. Please, do not write new information but focus on the researched one. The only accepted intention is to briefly indicate your opinion without persuading. To make it look professional, add the next words:

• In brief
• To conclude
• Finally
• Certainly
• Summing up
• All in all

For example, ‘Summing up, fake IDs are not the temporary event as far as the demand prevails over the possibilities. So, more and more illegal sellers will start to enlarge their services and maybe your underaged kid tomorrow will have easy access to alcohol.’

Your Expository Essay in Criminal Justice: Final Observations

When you about to submit your work to a supervisor, consider the last hints to succeed. As far as there is no competition with other students, try to compete with yourself, it will involve creativity and speed. The first aspect deals with choosing unmanageable topics because they push you, make you quit the comfort zone and make you spend hours in the library or online looking for materials. The speed is to organize a test-drive for your skills, how much time it will take to write a stellar essay. Other observations are:

• Find educational websites to get extra information on composing the essays. It can be guidelines, tips, introductions to writing.
• Consider time management. A Pomodoro technique works by dividing your time into intervals. It allows you to have breaks and relax a little bit to restart your brain for gathering the best ideas.
• Check your references or cite them. There are many services that will do it for you. Just make sure you do not copy other writers’ works because it would be considered plagiarism.
• Try to experiment. If you want to impress anyone, investigate the case on your own. Of course, no one pushes you to persecute the police but you may overlook, for example, how students in your college or high school deal with the distribution of illegal substances or what opinions they have toward gun possession regulations. You can structure this information in a poll or chart. It will be well appreciated and may positively affect your grade.
• Ask graduates for help. Do not hesitate to ask for help graduates or students who have already had this assignment. They for sure have examples of previous years and may borrow them as a sample. Otherwise, give them your finished essay and ask for feedback.
• Proofread. Instead of paying to services who do it via charging money, you can leave your work for a few days or hours apart and then come back to it with a fresh mind. First off, check the spelling mistakes or repetition of words, then find out whether all grammatical sentences are correct and fit the content. Then, double-check your references, they should be only of reliable sources.

There are for sure much effort and time will be dedicated to writing your expository essay in criminal justice and equally, you should possess enough knowledge about the topic and subject. Remember, Criminal Justice is not about making fun but a serious matter that requires prompt attention. If the goal is to impress the supervisor, investigate the supporting clues presented in the essay. If the target to hit is to boost your self-esteem, read many materials. Mastering such essays helps to climb up the career ladder faster because you develop thinking skills and can provide the description not only of the problem but its solution.

References:

• McCarthy, T. and Southwell, T. (2009). 100 writing lessons. New York: Scholastic.
• Study.com. (2019). [online] Available at: https://study.com/academy/course/intro-to-criminal-justice-course.html [Accessed 20 Dec. 2019].
• Travis, L. and Edwards, B. (n.d.). Introduction to criminal justice.