Victim Compensation Programs

Victim compensation programs generally only cover losses incurred by victims of violent
crimes. Do you agree with this limitation? Should property crime victims also be eligible
for victim compensation? Why or why not? This is an opinion paper. There is no wrong
opinion; your goal is to present and justify your opinion regarding this issue. You might
assume that I hold a differing opinion and that you are trying to convince me to change
my viewpoint.
To write an opinion paper, you provide your opinion and then give rational reasons as to
why you hold this opinion. Generally, this type of paper should have at least three good
reasons. So you should have about five paragraphs. Your opinion is your thesis
statement and should appear in the first paragraph of the paper. I should not have to
search through your paper to figure out your opinion! You should also list your
supporting reasons briefly in the first paragraph. You should then expand upon each
reason in a separate paragraph if you have three reasons, you should have three
paragraphs! Of course, you can have more. You may need multiple paragraphs to fully
discuss one of your supporting arguments, or you may have more than three supporting
reasons to discuss. Finally, conclude your essay with a final paragraph that summarizes
your argument. Although this is an opinion paper, and may be written in first person, you
are still required to write properly. You will lose points if your paper lacks proper
grammar, spelling, punctuation, organization, clarity, or insight.
Your paper must meet the following requirements. You will be penalized if you fail to
meet any of these requirements:

• DO NOT include the assignment question/topic in your paper! In other words,
DO NOT cut and paste the topic from the syllabus into your paper!! This will
make Turnitin think you plagiarized! I will automatically deduct 5 points from
your paper grade if you include the paper topic in your paper.
• Your paper must be double-spaced, with 1.25-inch margins, using Times New
Roman 12 point type. Pages must be numbered.
• Your paper must be no less than two and no more than four pages in length, not
including the title or reference pages. You will be penalized if your paper is too
short or too long.
• You must include a title page with your name, Panther ID number, and course
information. Remember, the title page is not included in the page count and
should not be numbered.
• References are not required. If you do use references, they must be appropriate
for a university-level course. Wikipedia and similar open source websites are not
acceptable sources for your paper. You must include a bibliography/reference
page and all works cited must be in APA format. Remember that APA format
means a reference page, not footnotes!
• Your paper must be submitted through Turnitin.com on or before 11:55pm on
December 7, 2019. No late papers will be accepted. Plagiarism will result in an
automatic grade of “F” in the course and may also incur additional university
penalties. Remember – cutting and pasting off the internet IS plagiarism!!
• For more information on plagiarism and how to avoid it, go to:
Plagiarism Prevention