CJ425 Chapter 1 CJ and Scientific Inquiry PDF

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Part 1: An Introduction to Criminal Justice Inquiry Chapter 1: Criminal Justice and Scientific Inquiry

TERMS  

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Experiential Reality: The things we know from direct experience Agreement Reality: The things we consider real because we’ve been told they’re real, and everyone else seems to agree they are real o If you don’t agree with these things, you cannot be a part of the society Empirical Research: the production of knowledge based on experience or observation Assertion: Must have both logical and empirical support, must make sense, and it must agree with actual observations Methodology: how social scientific methods can be used to better understand crime and criminal justice policy; subgenre of epistemology; “the science of finding out”

TYPES OF INQUIRY 

Personal Human Inquiry: draws on personal experience and secondhand authority o We recognize that future circumstances are somehow caused or conditioned by present ones o We recognize that such patterns of cause and effect are probalistic (the effects occur more often when the causes occur rather than when the causes are absent, but not always) in nature

2 SOURCES OF AGREEMENT REALITY 

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Tradition: born into and inherit culture which is made up of firmly accepted knowledge about the workings of the world and the values that guide our participation in it; tradition keeps us from starting from scratch in our research, but it is also a good jumping-off point to develop new knowledge Authority: acceptance of new knowledge often depends on the status of the discoverer; can weed out people who don’t know what they’re talking about, but can also fall victim to people who misuse authority (athletes promoting bad sports drinks)

[ERRORS IN PERSONAL HUMAN INQUIRY]  

Inaccurate Observation: observation reduces error; requires careful planning Over-Generalization: the tendency to over generalize is greatest when there is pressure to reach a general understanding yet it also occurs in the absence of pressure misdirects and or impedes inquiry

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o Replication: repeating a study to see whether similar results are obtained each time o Selective Observation: (a danger of over generalization) once we have concluded that a particular pattern exists and have developed a general understanding of why, we will be temped to pay attention to future events and situations that correspond with the pattern and ignore those that do not; racial, ethnic, and other prejudices are reinforced by this Illogical Reasoning: the maxim about the exception that proves the rule; an exception can draw attention to a rule or a supposed rule, but in no system can it prove the rule it contradicts o Gambler’s Fallacy: a consistent run of good or bad lick is presumed to foreshadow its opposite Ideology and Politics: can undermine objectivity in the research process

[PURPOSES OF RESEARCH] 1. Exploration: interest in a crime or criminal policy issue about which little is known; might collect data on a measure to establish a baseline with which future changes will be compared 2. Description: a researcher or public official observes and then describes what was observed (scope of crime problem and/or policy responses to the problems) a. Exploratory research focuses on developing a preliminary understanding about a new or unusual problem which descriptive research focuses on counting or documenting observations 3. Explanation: explain things; example: why some people believe cops are doing their jobs while others don’t 4. Application: stems from a need for facts and findings with specific policy implications; application to public policy a. 2 types of applied research: i. Evaluation: involves comparing the goals of a program with the results; uses social scientific methods to test the results of a program or policy change ii. Policy/Problem Analysis: “what if” questions; focuses primarily on future events; anticipate the future consequences of alternative actions

GETTING STARTED 

Read something about the issue o What research has already been done? o Is there recent posting of occurrences? o How did other researchers approach the issue?

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Talk to people (students, P.D., Officials) Know your objective Make an outline of your report

CONCEPTUALIZATION  

What do you mean by “concern about sexual assault” o Means different things to different people Precautionary behavior vs. general behavior

CHOICE OF RESEARCH METHOD  

Survey, etc. Multiple survey methods = more strength

OPERATIONALIZATION 

Specific measurement procedures

POPULATION & SAMPLING 

What population is appropriate?

OBSERVATIONS 

Collect empirical data

ANALYSIS  

This feedback allows us to draw conclusions that reflect on the interests, ideas, and theories that initiated the inquiry Can also initiate another cycle of inquiry o Subsets of population (on campus, men vs women, sophomore, etc.)

APPLICATION 

Communicate your finding with a report

REVIEWING THE LITERATURE 

See what others have found

GENERAL STRATEGIES   

Be selective with your research CRAAP test Using a library (librarians are helpful)

HOW TO READ SCHOLARLY RESEARCH    

Abstract: purpose of the research, methods used, major findings Summary/Conclusion: detailed picture of what the article is about Read article: take notes and mark where you may quote from Explain it to someone: this will raise questions and help you understand the material more

ELEMENTS OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL    

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Problem or objective: what do you want to study? Why is it worth studying? Does it contribute to our understanding/knowledge? Literature review Research questions: what specific questions are you trying to answer? What new information do you plan to find? Subjects for study: who(m) will you study to collect data? o Identify subjects in general terms and then specifically identify who or what are available for the study and how you will research them o Will you have an impact on those who you study? How will you ensure they wont be harmed? Measurement: what are the key variables in your study? How will you define and measure them? Do your definitions and measurement methods duplicate or differ from those of previous research on this topic? Data collection methods: how will you collect data for your study? Will you observe behavior directly or conduct a survey? Will you undertake field research or focus on the reanalysis of data already collected by others? Analysis: briefly describe the type of analysis you plan to conduct; spell out the purpose and logic of your analysis o What kind of explanatory variables will your analysis consider? References: list all materials you consulted and cited Schedule: provide a schedule for the various stages of research

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Budget: if you are requesting funding, provide a budget with categories (personal, supplies, etc.)...