Provincial Offences 401 Essay

Students are required to write an essay of approximately 1,500 to 2,000 words on the following topic.
The essay MUST BE in American Psychological Association (APA) formatting with correct sourcing.

Students are required to interview a person who enforces the provisions of any of the Provincial
Offences Acts that we study during the course (e.g. Mental Health Act. Liquor Licence Act, Child and
Family Services Act, Safe Streets Act etc..) The person interviewed can be a police officer, sheriff, special
constable or municipal by law enforcement officer, BUT he/she CANNOT be a bartender who uses smart
serve. Also, students are not to interview the selected police officer on his/her utilization of the
Highway Traffic Act which is a provincial statute but it is not covered in this course.

Students should prepare a list of questions (for the professional) prior to the interview; some of the
questions should be (but not limited to):

1. Provide a historical description of the person being interviewed (Agency working for, years of
employment, special duties, experience and investigations that they have worked on etc)
2. What are the benefits of the Act (in question)?
3. What are the problems with the Act (as legislated)experienced by the professional
4. What (if any) legislative changes would assist the professional in the use of the Act
5. What other agencies does this person work with?
6. How often does the person use search powers under the Act?
7. How often does the person use powers of arrest under the Act?
8. What is the most common release document employed by the person?
9. What is the average length of time from the time of laying a charge and the resulting plea/trial?
10. What are some of the sentences being imposed on the offenders?
11. Explain the relevant procedures in the Provincial Offences Act selected.
12. Identify which non-police agencies are involved with each statute.
13. Explain the role of these agencies in resolving problems.

Also, students are to include the questions that were asked during the interview. The essay must be
grammatically correct, with proper spelling and sentence structure. The essay will be submitted
through Blackboard on or before Sunday April 10, 2011 at 4pm.