EXPLORING THE BOUNDARIES OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM AND OTHER CRIMES

Deliverable: Three- to four-page (not including the cover or reference pages) APA-formatted paper. It should be double-spaced with in-text citations and full references. To be more specific, I am going to require that each student submit a 900 – 1,200 word paper. The body (minimum word count) of the paper does not include the title page or references. You should have at least two academic sources. (100 pts)
This assignment uses Turnitin as well as an artificial intelligence (AI) checker. The use of artificial intelligence for this assignment is not permitted.

Instructions

In recent years, hate crimes and certain forms of protest-related violence have been prosecuted as domestic terrorist acts. For this assignment, you will explore whether the umbrella of domestic terrorism has expanded to include crimes it should not or if this is necessary to effectively respond to modern day threats.
How is domestic terrorism defined in the United States? What groups or acts generally fall under this label, and how has it evolved over time?
Research and discuss whether the expansion of domestic terrorism laws to include other criminal acts, such as hate crimes or protest-related violence, is appropriate or if it dilutes the focus on more traditional forms of terrorism. In other words, should they be categorized differently or is their inclusion justified?

Identify a real-world example where a crime was prosecuted as domestic terrorism. For example, it may have involved a mass shooting, car crash, or other act usually thought to be outside the boundaries of domestic terrorism. In your opinion, do you believe it was appropriately labeled as terrorism?

Discuss the implications of this classification on law enforcement tactics and public perception.

Should the U.S. government reconsider how it defines and prosecutes domestic terrorism? Does expanding the definition help or hinder efforts to combat terrorism, or does it blur the lines between terrorism and other forms of criminal behavior?

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