Application Essay: Search and Seizure Assignment Instructions
Overview
The application essay assignments address topics integral to the criminal justice field and future criminal justice professionals from a biblical worldview. As societal change compels criminal justice reform, studying the effects of reform related to justice from a biblical worldview is essential. Rethinking law enforcement procedures, criminal sentencing, and law, overall, are just a few of the topics examined.
Instructions
- In your essay, support your views with the required readings and study materials for this week, or other scholarly articles published within the last five years to support your statements.
- Four in-text citations are required for this assignment in current APA formatting.
- Your paper must be formatted using 12 pt. Times New Roman font, with a 400-word minimum/425-word maximum double-spaced.
- Assignment questions, title page, and reference section will be excluded from the word count.
Recognizing that a just criminal justice system has limited power and upholds the unalienable rights of the citizenry, consider the following scenario:
You are a police officer, and you are dispatched to a noise complaint at a residence in your jurisdiction. When you arrive at the residence, you hear loud music coming from the house that would constitute a violation of the noise ordinance in your community. You do not get an answer when you knock on the front door, so you walk around to the back of the house. When you get to the back porch, you see what you recognize to be several marijuana plants based on your training and experience. As you are examining the plants, the resident comes to the door and begins yelling at you to “get off of my property.” Note: for the purposes of this scenario, assume you are in a state where marijuana, medicinal or otherwise, is not legal.
Based on this information, respond to the following questions:
- Can you seize the marijuana plants at that time? If yes, what is your legal justification for doing so? If no, what legally prohibits you from doing so? What biblical principles should you be considering?
- Based on your observation of the marijuana plants, do you need a search warrant to enter and search the house and the resident? If yes, what is the basis for this legal requirement? If no, what is the justification for this exception to the search warrant requirement? What biblical principles should you be considering?
- If you enter the residence and seize additional evidence inside and that search and seizure is later deemed illegal, would the additional evidence be admissible in court? Why or why not? What legal ruling(s) should you be considering?
Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.
