Articulating Policy Options
Name(s).......................................................................................................................
This exercise is designed to get you started on
preparing an Option Memorandum on a criminal justice policy issue.
An options memorandum contains the following elements
-
A description of an Issue
-
A description of the Background to the issue
-
A statement of the Objectives to be accomplished
-
A statement of three or more Policy Options
-
A statement of the pros and cons for each option
-
A set of Recommendations
-
A list of References with additional information.
For this assignment the OBJECTIVE is: "To reduce the health and social
costs to the public of marijuana use."
You should:
1. Provide a list of at least three (if you work alone)
or five (if you work as a group) good policy alternatives. Choose
the best alternatives you can find. More than three is better.
Describe each policy alternative in a paragraph - what does it actually
involve doing?
2. For each alternative, provide a paragraph describing the "pros"
and a paragraph describing the "antis."
3. A paragraph describing your recommendations.
For an example, look at the Sample
Options Memorandum.
Use the following Format:
OPTION:
Pros:
Cons: