a) After reading pages 81-197 of Out-of-Control Criminal Justice, why do you suppose that states devote such dramatically different amounts of their budgets to crime and justice efforts over and above differences in population or crime rates? Elaborate. b) In your opinion, should there be uniform national guidelines or recommendations that dictate how much money states should allocate for police, court, and corrections functions? Why or why not? It should be evident that you have reflected upon Mears' book. c) Next, as you know, Mears discusses throughout this book how the politicization of crime has driven criminal justice policies to a greater extent than the crime rates warrant. Please provide at least one meaningful suggestion as to how politicization can be taken out of criminal justice policymaking and implementation. Your suggestion should be creative, yet also realistic. It should also be evident that you have an understanding of key aspects and terms from Mears' book. d) Next, in his book, Mears points out that whenever a parent is incarcerated, he or she often returns back to society less able to provide emotional or financial support to his or her children. Given this magnitude of this problem, in your opinion, what can be done to help children of ex-convicts so that incarceration does not indirectly contribute to more crime. Again, be creative yet also realistic. e) Next, in your opinion, is it appropriate for ex-offenders to participate as stakeholders in the development of criminal justice policy. Take a position either way and support it. f) Next, after considering the Systems Improvement Solution policy process, in your opinion, what is one of its biggest weaknesses and how can this weakness be overcome? Be specific. g) Next, please point to one additional aspect of the assigned reading for Week Six that you found to be of interest. Please be sure to point out why this is germane to our understanding of criminal justice policy. Finally, please pose a critical thinking question to your peers. You must also attempt to answer at least one of the questions posed by a classmate. Keep in mind that special consideration will be given to students who post comments early in the week (Wednesday February 24th 11.59 PM), as well as to students who post multiple substantive follow-up comments. All comments must be posted by Saturday, February 27th, and no late work will be accepted. Good luck!