Criminal Justice Research Methods
There are a large number of research methodologies that can be used to investigate the effectiveness of criminal justice practices and reforms. The methodologies can be grouped into qualitative and quantitative, with the former representing an inductive approach when little is understood about a phenomenon (Driessnack, Sousa, & Mendes, 2007) and the latter representing a deductive approach intended to quantify outcomes under controlled conditions (Sousa, Driessnack, & Mendes, 2007). Quantitative methodologies can be further divided into non-experimental and experimental, while experimental can be divided into true-experimental and quasi-experimental. To develop a deeper understanding of the scientific methods of inquiry that can be applied to criminal justice research topics, several study designs will be reviewed and discussed.
Research Methods and Examples
Researcher interested in understanding more about a phenomenon will typically interview the persons who are affected the most, thereby gaining a better understanding of the lived experience (Driessnack, Sousa, & Mendes, 2007). For example, rape victims could be interviewed several years after the crime was committed to better understand their experiences when interacting with the police and prosecutors. Grounded theory could also be used to study the same phenomenon, only instead of collecting and analyzing the information after all interviews have been completed, researchers would analyze the information gained during the interview process, while simultaneously modifying the questions being asked. Grounded theory therefore uses an iterative process whereby the questions being asked are 'grounded' in the information being culled from the interviews. By comparison, researchers using ethnographic study design would immerse themselves in a group or community to better understand the lived experience. For example, a researcher interested in understanding the interactions between the...
Latinos participations are low in CAPS, and most of their members are unaware of the strategies of CAPS. Their levels of awareness have been on a declining state since the year 1990. Their involvement in these meetings was driving by the levels of crime, moral decay on the community and at the level of social disorder. The problem with the Latino population is that they do not turn up
Criminal justice research presents a unique set of ethical challenges. Two of the most significant ethical challenges include the need to protect participant confidentiality, and the need to pursue research that promotes social justice. Lowman & Palys (2001) analyze some of the ethical and legal threats to confidentiality, showing how criminal justice researchers can balance their legal and ethical obligations with their commitment to research efficacy, validity, and reliability. Nouwen
Concept of Ethics in Criminal Justice Research Ethics is one of the most important issues in the field of criminal justice given its consideration as the mainstay of professionalism in this discipline. The significance of ethics in the criminal justice field is attributable to the fact that the various professionals or actors in this field exercise discretion when making decisions and need to enforce the law in the process. Therefore, ethical
A variety of methods and designs can be used in criminal justice research. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are valid approaches to the sociological questions researchers will have when faced with presenting problems and issues. Ideally, criminal justice research should remain relevant, grounded in theory, and applicable to public policy or practice. Criminal justice policies and procedures can and should be evidence-based. Scientific research helps to identify which interventions or
In the experimental community, the researchers instituted a media campaign to increase seat-belt usage, followed by increased police enforcement of the seat-belt law. It was found that the percentage of drivers using seat belts increased in the experimental community but remained stable or declined slightly in the comparison community (Piquero and Piquero, 2002). An example of the before-and-after design would be the analysis of the impact of the Massachusetts Bartley-Fox
Furthermore, several of the partnerships that COPS agencies were able to produce within their disparate communities were little more than simple name recognition, and were not able to produce a significantly impactful relationship between those agencies and the surrounding communities. This lack of a true cooperative partnership also accounts for why the research conducted for the COPS program did not truly have as successful an impact as it probably
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