Research in Criminal Justice
Terminology Paper
Students studying criminology and criminal justice are anticipated to do research and learn the effective application of the Research process during the course of their study. Primarily, they must understand first that criminal justice research offers several functions (Maxfield & Babbie, 2010) and it is useful to evaluate them individually because each of it has different effect.
Initially, students do research to develop the analytical skills of their minds. It is to explore the motives and collect data (Maxfield & Babbie, 2010); then, knowing how to scrutinize gathered information and what to do with it.
Research describes scope of crime problems and to explain the relationships between the gathered data (Maxfield & Babbie, 2010). It also aims to explain to know the causes and effects of a crime.
Furthermore, the testing of the results and evaluating of the effects of criminal justice programs are other purposes of research. It also guides in the decision making towards their research study and foretell imminent implications or alternate actions (Maxfield & Babbie, 2010).
Much later, after they were done with schooling, it can be an essential aid in their future jobs and policy making in criminal justice.
Research process in criminal justice
Research process in criminal justice is a set of systematic activities done to obtain knowledge about a specific subject, more likely related to a crime and to the response elicited from the society. It is a scientific method of inquiry (Innes & Everett, 2008).
It is considered as one of the most significant learning tool these students must not only get acquainted with, but must also manage to be proficient with. Innes & Everett (2008) implied that these students must understand why knowledge of research methods is valuable to a criminal justice research.
The basic phases of Research process are formulation of theories, data collection and data analysis (Bachman & Schutt, 2013).
Theories are chronicle of ideas and concepts. Doing research encourages critical thinking amongst students. Knowing the topic or subject to study initially set their goals for their research. Then, the construction of theories and hypotheses in preparation for the study necessitate them to brainstorm for more ideas and questions that they can possibly come up to.
Additionally, data collection is where planning, sampling, direct observation and gaining experience simply take place. There are various sources for research data, as well as different means to gather and record information such as surveys, experiments, interviews and direct observation. In fact, Maxfield & Babbie (2010) connote that the principle of inquiry is observation.
Lastly, analyzing the data involves associating the data collected, testing the hypotheses and arriving at the conclusions. Statistics, a branch of mathematics that deals with the collection, analysis and presentation of numerical data, is the most prominent tool used to analyze data using the rules of distributions, graphs, “mean, median, mode, and variability” (Bachman & Schutt, 2013).
Research terminology
However, it is worth stating that to complete this learning process, students of criminal justice must initially know research terminology, which they most probably use in writing their research papers.
If they are not familiar with the definition and purpose of the different terms used in research in criminal justice, they will be the first ones to be ambiguous on their own subjects and it may strained them in writing their research papers.
A number of common research terms were already mentioned and fairly discussed above, including research process, theories and data analysis. Additionally, a higher level of understanding is sought to gain deeper perspectives from the available research data.
Identification occurs when the particular person is distinguished from a group of similar individuals (Maxfield & Babbie, 2010). An attribute is the characteristic illustrating a person like male or female; while a variable is the logical groupings of attributes such as gender. An inductive reasoning answers from WHETHER to WHY. The inductive statement either goes from specific to general; or from past observations to a pattern. Whereas, deductive reasoning answers from WHY to WHETHER. The deductive statement either turns from general to specific or from a pattern to the past observations.
Furthermore, Bachman & Schutt (2013) cited some research terms, which students of criminal justice may also encounter along the way.
Secondary data analysis is where a preexisting data that is not collected by the researcher himself is used in research and analyzed in a different way or to respond to a different or unintentional inquiry.
Content analysis generates presumptions from text through systematical analysis (Bachman & Schutt, 2013). Likewise, Babbie, E.R. (2010) depicts it as the scrutiny of recorded human communications, such as paperbacks, hard-covers, manuscripts, websites, portraits and laws.
Historical events research is where general theoretical explanation is establish rather than merely describing events (Bachman & Schutt, 2013).
Moreover, Crime mapping is tochart, envision and probe crime incident patterns. Triangulating Research Design uses multiple approaches to study one research question (Bachman & Schutt, 2013).
Knowing the definitions of these terms above is an asset in evaluating and analyzing a research. Students or perhaps, future practitioners of criminal justice, will have more options on the research methodology how to conduct their study, by what means to collect more valid data, exactly how to properly evaluate these data and in what manner to apply it to better comprehend crimes (Maxfield & Babbie, 2010).
The following terms previously mentioned can possibly be applied to a number of professions related to Criminology and criminal justice such as policemen, police officers, Federal Bureau Inc. (FBI) agents, undercover personnel or detectives, lawyers and/or paralegals and university Instructors.
They may employ these various research methods in their respective jobs. Results of these researches may be utilized to form more effective anti-crime policies and minimize crime-related problems in the society.
Researchers and practitioners in criminal justice are better adept to critically examine research reports and to recognize when methods are either appropriately or inappropriately applied (Maxfield & Babbie, 2010).
A police man has an advantage because he may avoid more mistakes if he is not only thoroughly aware of the research process and terms but he also has knowledge in the interpretation of his research outcomes (Maxfield & Babbie, 2010).
Not knowing and not understanding the different terminology can negatively affect the outcome of a criminal justice research. It can results to confusion about the research topic, invalid data gathered, erroneous procedures, waste of time from senseless repeating of some procedures and invalid conclusion drawn.
Hence, these are the implications of either knowing or not knowing these terms and of what means these research terms be applied to a few occupations related to criminal justice.
This study denotes that it is highly important that students of criminology and criminal justice learn how to conduct research and effectively apply the acquired learning in their future jobs. They are obliged to become proficient not only at the accurate interpretation of their research but also at generating useful research outcome (Maxfield & Babbie, 2010).
Lastly, whatever these students learned from their schooling about research process and methodology must be applied to their future jobs in criminal justice. Aside from the techniques and approaches they acquired, they must also retain the attitude of patience, persistence and critical thinking, which they have gained while still in Universities.
