Assignment 3: The Big Stage!
Due Week 10 and worth 200 points

In  the United States, both the federal government and the states have  authority to indict for criminal wrongdoing. The federal government and  each state have their own criminal statutes, court system, prosecutors,  and police agencies. Use your textbook, the Internet, and/or Strayer  University Online Library (https://research.strayer.edu) to research articles from within the past three years on crime trial, prosecutor, and criminal investigator.

Write a 4- to 5-page paper in which you:

1. Put yourself in the role of a prosecutor and explain the importance  of the final report to the prosecution of a case. Further, analyze the  possible impact of poorly completed final reports on the prosecution of a  case. 
2. Review Figure 21.1, The Use of Evidence in the Stages of the  Criminal Justice Process, in Chapter 21 of the text and specify the  manner in which each stage of the criminal justice process helps to  build a successfully litigated action. Provide a rationale to support  the response. 
3. Identify the three areas that Detective Richard Gautsch, a  seasoned investigator, recommends an investigator focus on when giving  courtroom testimony and discuss the importance of each area. Next,  define a criminal investigator’s role in preparing a case for court.  Analyze the manner in which the investigator cooperates with the  prosecutor to enhance the courtroom presentation. 
4. Differentiate not guilty and acquitted. Give your opinion as to  whether or not a not guilty verdict means that the investigator failed.  Support the position. 
5. Predict one to two changes that will take place in criminal  investigation in the next twenty years. Provide a rationale to support  the response. 
6. Use at least three quality academic resources in this  assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar types of websites do not qualify  as academic resources. 

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• This course requires the use of new Strayer Writing Standards (SWS).  The format is different than other Strayer University courses. Please  take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details. 
• Be typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12),  with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow  SWS or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any  additional instructions. 
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment,  the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the  date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the  required assignment page length. 

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Describe the major components of and responsibilities involved in the investigative process. 
• Recommend improvements to the criminal investigation process in selected areas. 
• Predict changes that will take place in criminal investigation in the next twenty (20) years. 
• Evaluate the role of the criminal investigator in preparing evidence for presentation and courtroom testimony. 
• Use technology and information resources to conduct research in the criminal investigation process. 
• Write clearly and concisely about the criminal investigation process using proper writing mechanics.