RESEARCH METHODS IN CRIME AND JUSTICE

CHAPTER 1 – THE RESEARCH PRACTICE

Chapter Review Questions

Respond to each of the following questions using the information from this chapter.

  1. During a recent meeting of the command staff at a mid-sized police department, the chief asks the patrol captain for his recommendation for new flashlights. The captain responds, “I did a little research and I recommend that we purchase the DryLight, Model X flashlight”. The patrol captain’s research consisted of “asking a few of the officers” what they thought would be a good flashlight. Did the patrol captain actually conduct research? Why or why not?

ANSWER: Technically, the patrol captain did some research. He conducted interviews which is a form of data collection. One could argue, however, that the patrol captain’s research was limited (pp. 7-8).

  1. Respond to the following statement in 3-5 sentences:

Conducting research in the social sciences and in criminal justice in particular is easier than in other sciences because the things we measure are so vague that nobody really cares if we get it right or not.

ANSWER: Generally speaking, social science research is more challenging than some of the ‘hard sciences’ because the things social scientists study are difficult to measure objectively. As a result social scientists spend a great deal of time justifying how they measure concepts to their peers (pp. 4-5).

  1. Read the following scenarios and identify which of the following alternative sources of information is being used(pp. 5-7):
  2. Authority
  3. Tradition or Custom
  4. Common sense
  5. Media

Scenario / Source of information
The City of Bigton is having a problem with graffiti. The Mayor decides that the only way to reduce graffiti is to increase the penalty. The City Council agrees and increases the penalty. However, incidents of graffiti continue to increase. / Common sense
A state senator is making a speech before the legislature and declares, “Racial profiling is an epidemic throughout our state”. When asked to provide proof of this statement, the senator points to a large folder full of newspaper and magazine articles on racial profiling. / Media
Frustrated with the new intake process, a probation officer complains to her boss. “It just doesn’t make sense”. The supervisor encourages the probation officer to “give the new system a chance” because “after all, it was designed by the leading expert on juvenile probation in the nation”. / Authority
A recent proposal by the Bigton Police Department is to not dispatch officers to take stolen vehicle reports. Instead the vehicle owner would enter the appropriate information into an online system and get the case number needed to file an insurance claim. The City Manager rejects the proposal, arguing, “The good people of Bigton deserve a living and breathing police officer when they call one”. / Tradition
  1. Classify the following research proposals into one of the following research categories(pp. 9-10).
  2. Exploratory
  3. Descriptive
  4. Explanatory

Research proposal / Purpose
The Chief Probation Officer has asked one of his assistants to conduct an analysis of the probationers under the supervision of the Probation Department. The Chief wants to know basic information about the probationers, such as age, gender, criminal history and length of probation. / Descriptive
Recently, a dozen correctional officers were dismissed for participating in a drug and contraband smuggling conspiracy. The warden has asked a consultant to conduct research that would provide insight into why these officers were led to participate in this conspiracy. / Explanatory
The Captain of the Narcotics Unit in a large metropolitan police department hears that prescription drug abuse is growing among juveniles in her city. She asks one of her lieutenants to conduct research to determine the extent of this new trend. / Exploratory
  1. A researcher conducts research for the initial purpose of explaining the linkages between illegal drug use and risky sexual behaviors among adolescents. This researcher is merely interested in this topic and hopes to publish this research report in an academic journal. What type of research is this? Explain your answer(pp. 10-11).
  2. Pure research
  3. Applied research

EXPLANATION: The initial intent of this research was to expand the body of knowledge. This is, by definition, pure research.

  1. A program at a local high school is designed to reduce illegal drug use among adolescents. The school board has asked a researcher to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. What type of research is this? Explain your answer(pp. 10-11).
  2. Pure research
  3. Applied research

EXPLANATION: The initial intent of this research was to gather knowledge to solve a current problem. This is, by definition, applied research.

  1. Your professor has assigned a research paper. The references for this paper must come from “peer reviewed” research articles. Where would you find these articles (pp. 12-15)?

ANSWER: These articles would likely come from academic and scholarly journals. It is also possible to find peer reviewed articles in edited works and in the form of monographs.

  1. You have been asked to make a presentation on a subject that you know very little about. What source(s) would you consult to obtain a general overview of the subject? Explain your answer(pp. 12-15).

ANSWER: The best place to start preparing for this presentation is with a book. Books provide more information about a topic than articles and monographs.

RESEARCH METHODS IN CRIME AND JUSTICE

CHAPTER 2 – THE RESEARCH PROCESS

Chapter Review Questions

Respond to each of the following questions using the information from this chapter.

  1. Read each of the following statements made by researchers and classify them into one of the following research objectives(pp. 25-26):
  2. To answer research questions
  3. To reveal inconsistencies among researchers
  4. To fill gaps in the body of knowledge
  5. To produce more research questions

Statement / Objective
Sutherland (1974) proposed the theory of differential association, which suggests that criminal behavior is learned through interactions with other criminals. Burgess and Akers (1966) expanded on Sutherland’s theory by suggesting that other factors could combine with differential association to produce criminal behavior. / a. To answer research questions
The observations of Burgess and Akers produced the first real insight into the process by which juveniles become members of criminal gangs. / c. To fill gaps in the body of knowledge
Despite its contribution to our understanding of juvenile delinquency, the research of Burgess and Akers could not explain what motivates juveniles to join criminal gangs in the first place. / b. To reveal inconsistencies among researchers
The manner in which individuals learn criminal behavior is well documented. However, it is not clear from the research so far how access to the internet affects this learning process. / d. To produce more research questions
  1. Fill in the blank: The research process is characteristically linear in that steps are usually completed in a certain order(pp. 26-27).
  1. Fill in the blank: The research process has been described as externally cyclical because it has a tendency to produce additional questions for future researchers(pp. 26-27).
  1. Read the following statements. Place a check mark ‘’ next to the statements that you consider to be good research questions and an ‘X’ beside the statements that are not good research questions(pp. 27-28).

Statement / or X
Children with undiagnosed and untreated learning disabilities are more likely to become delinquents. / 
Increased patrols will result in decreased vehicular burglaries. / 
Sex offenders should never be allowed to see the light of day outside of an institution. / X
Prolonged periods of solitary confinement may result in psychological damage among inmates. / 
The death penalty reflects our value system of ‘an eye for an eye’. / X
  1. For the statements that you marked with an ‘X’ above, explain why they would not make good research questions(pp. 27-28).

ANSWER: The questions marked with an X are opinions, not questions. They do not include measurable concepts.

  1. The following statements describe challenges a researcher might encounter during the literature review process. For each statement, determine where the researcher should look for information. Refer to Table 2.1 for guidance(p. 29).

Research challenge / Source of information
“I need information about current research on this topic.” / Scholarly journals
“I am really unfamiliar with this topic. I need some background information and maybe a little history about it.” / Books
“I need some information about this topic in a hurry!” / Internet sources
“There is not a lot of published information about this topic. I need some kind of insight into it.” / Experts
“What is the general public likely to know about this topic?” / Newspapers and magazines
  1. A researcher conducting research on the relationship between alcohol use and domestic violence develops the following conceptual definition for domestic violence:

A potentially severe and reoccurring form of physical assault wherein the victim is an intimate domestic partner.

Use the following table to list the strengths and weaknesses of this conceptual definition. A strength might be that the definition includes the reoccurring nature of this behavior; a weakness might be that the definition does not include psychological abuse(pp. 32-33).

Strengths / Weaknesses
The definition includes multiple dimensions (“severe” and “reoccurring”) dimensions of this behavior. / Must the behavior be both “potentially severe” and “reoccurring”?
The definition would not include individuals who merely live together in a non-intimate relationship, like a college roommate. / Must the victim be an ‘intimate domestic partner” or would a child or parent be included in the definition?
Including “severe” in the definition would eliminate minor confrontations of a verbal nature. / Must it be “physical assault” or would you include psychological and emotional abuse?
  1. The researcher in the previous question decides to measure (i.e., operationalize) domestic violence using arrests for domestic violence. Discuss the problems with this measure. Would the researcher overlook any important dimensions or aspects of the concept domestic violence using only arrests as the measure? If so, what dimensions or aspects? What other measures for domestic violence might the researcher use(pp. 33-34)?

ANSWER: Arrests for domestic violence would not include incidents that are unknown (i.e. unreported) to the police and incidents wherein the police did not make an arrest. Individuals who are arrested are not guilty of domestic violence are, like all suspects and criminal defendants, presumed innocent. Maybe convictions for domestic violence would be a more accurate measure.

  1. A researcher intends to interview 25 individuals who had previously fled from the police in a high speed pursuit. The researcher’s objectives are to determine why these individuals ran from the police and why they eventually stopped. The research has the potential to inform the local police department as it develops a new policy governing high speed vehicular pursuits. Write five interview questions that this researcher might use to get at the information they need(pp. 32-35).

ANSWER (suggested):

  • How and when did you first determine that the police were pursuing you? (lights, sirens, etc)
  • What was your initial thought when you first determined that the police were pursuing you?
  • What were the reasons you chose to flee from the police?
  • At what point did you decide to stop?
  • Why did you decide to stop?
  1. Develop a graph, table or other visual representation that communicates the following research finding(pp. 39-41):

Before they are caught and convicted for their first offense, 60 percent of all sex offenders commit five or more offenses; 20 percent commit from three to five offenses; 15 percent commit two offenses; and 5 percent commit only one offense.

Number of Offenses Committed by Sex Offenders Prior to Their First Arrest

Number of
Prior Offenses / Percent of All
Sex Offenders
5+ / 60%
3-4 / 20%
2 / 15%
1 / 5%
Total / 100%

SUGGESTION: Pie charts, histograms, bar charts and even a cumulative percentage curve would be acceptable responses.

RESEARCH METHODS IN CRIME AND JUSTICE

CHAPTER 3 – THE ETHICAL PRINCIPLES THAT GUIDE RESEARCHERS

Chapter Review Questions

Respond to each of the following questions using the information from this chapter.

  1. Classify each of the following ethical violations into one of the following ethical principles(pp. 49-64, Summary Table 3.2 on page 64):
  2. Do no harm
  3. Ensure privacy
  4. Obtain voluntary and informed consent
  5. Get permission
  6. Avoid sponsorship bias and suppression
  7. Prevent misrepresentation
  8. Ensure the safety of researchers

Ethical Violation / Principle
A criminologist conducts a study on the effectiveness of a new violent offender rehabilitation program at the request of the program developer, a for-profit company. She determines that the program is largely ineffective. A few weeks later, she reads in the paper that the state prison authorities have adopted this program because it “has been evaluated by a competent criminologist and has been found to be effective”. / f. Prevent misrepresentation
A tribal police department has asked you to evaluate an alcohol dependency program being offered on a Native American reservation. You immediately travel to the reservation and begin interviewing patients, all alcoholics, in the treatment facility. You presume that since the tribal police department invited you to evaluate the program, you can get started right away. / d. Get permission
Two graduate students have been assigned to conduct field observations of juveniles who ‘hang out’ on street corners. The research site is a known high crime area. When one of the students expresses concern about their safety, the research director says, “Don’t worry about it. What could possibly happen?” / g. Ensure the safety of researchers
You have been asked to determine the extent to which the local police department enforces marijuana laws. You hire ten students and ask them to openly smoke marijuana in various public places. You want to see if the police confront them. / a. Do no harm
After conducting a case study of a child who had been the victim of bullying in school, you realize that others might be able to determine the identity of the research subject (the child). You decide to publish the results anyway because you have the guardian’s permission and you doubt that anyone will read your article. / b. Ensure privacy
At the request of the local police chief, you are conducting research on the work habits of police officers. You tell the officers about the nature of the study and the information you are going to collect in interviews with them. You also suggest that their failure to participate in the ‘department approved’ research project will be reported to the chief. / c. Obtain voluntary and informed consent
After analyzing the data from a study you are conducting on a drug use prevention program, you find that your results are not as definitive as you had predicted. You suspect that some of the data may have been coded wrong so you change some of the data. This changes the results dramatically and ‘proves’ that you were right. / e. Avoid sponsorship bias and suppression
  1. For each research scenario below, indicate the type of harm with which a researcher should be concerned(p. 50):
  2. Physical harm
  3. Psychological harm
  4. Legal harm

Research Scenario / Type of Harm
A criminal justice researcher interviews violent criminal offenders in their homes. / a. Physical harm
A researcher asks respondents to disclose their names, addresses and information on their criminal behavior. / c. Legal harm
An interviewer asks young sexual assault victims to recount the details of their victimization. / b. Psychological harm
  1. When it is not possible for anybody, including the researcher, to determine the identities of the research subjects using the information they provide on a survey, we say that research subjects have been granted(pp. 53-54):
  2. Anonymity
  3. Confidentiality
  4. Privacy
  1. When a researcher knows but agrees not to disclose her research subjects’ identities she has likely assured them of (pp. 53-54):
  2. Privacy
  3. Anonymity
  4. Confidentiality
  1. Researchers should secure consent from research subjects prior to gathering information from them. This consent must be both(pp. 54-55):
  2. Voluntary and Written
  3. Voluntary and Informed
  4. Informed and Written
  5. None of the above
  1. If a researcher threatens to tell a research subject’s boss that the subject has refused to participate in the research study, the subject’s consent is considered(pp. 54-55):
  2. Contrived
  3. Involuntary
  4. Reliable
  5. Uninformed
  1. Which of the following groups of research subjects would be considered a vulnerable population, requiring a more detailed review by an Institutional Review Board(pp. 55-56)?
  2. School children
  3. Incarcerated offenders
  4. Nursing home residents
  5. All of the above
  1. When should a research report on the safety and effectiveness of a new non-lethal weapon used by police officers be reviewed more critically(pp. 56-58)?
  2. If the research report was published by a government agency that tests consumer products for safety
  3. If the research report was written by a researcher for a peer reviewed scholarly journal
  4. If the research were conducted by a private research firm that tests products for the insurance industry
  5. If the research were sponsored by the same company that manufactures the new weapon
  1. A researcher is hired to evaluate the effectiveness of a substance abuse rehabilitation program for incarcerated offenders. After reviewing the data provided by the organization administering the program, the researcher notices that a large amount of information is missing. The researcher should do which of the following(pp. 56-58)?
  2. Not worry about it because criminal justice data is notoriously incomplete
  3. Proceed with the analysis and report that data are missing
  4. Refuse to conduct the analysis until the data set is complete
  1. A researcher uses information from an open source website similar to Wikipedia. Because this information is readily available to anyone who wants it and does not include the name of the person who provided the information, the researcher decides not to attribute the information to the website from which it came. This researcher is guilty of (pp. 58-61):
  2. Deception
  3. Lying
  4. Nothing
  5. Plagiarism
  1. Researchers who intend to gather information from human subjects should seek the approval for their research from an Institutional Review Board(p. 66):
  2. Every time human subjects are involved in the data collection
  3. In cases where research subjects are considered a vulnerable population
  4. Only if they think their data collection will expose the research subjects to harm
  5. When the research plan involves some kind of medical intervention
  1. Which of the following research projects would likely require a full review, as opposed to an expedited review, by an Institutional Review Board(p. 66)?
  2. A focus group involving airline passengers who travel frequently
  3. A series of interviews of parents whose children have been murdered
  4. A survey of the general population on how they intend to vote in an election
  5. An unobtrusive observational study of people in a shopping mall

RESEARCH METHODS IN CRIME AND JUSTICE