OUTLINE OF BOOK
PREFACE
CHAPTER 1: The Importance of Research Methods and Becoming an Informed Consumer of Research
Case Study: Student Apprehension Regarding Research Methods
Introduction
How Do We Know What We Know? Sources of Knowledge
Knowledge from Authority
Knowledge from Tradition
Knowledge from Common Sense
CLASSICS IN CJ RESEARCH Is It Safe to Put Felons on Probation?
Knowledge from Personal Experience
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS When Your Criminal Past Isn’t Yours
Knowledge from Media Portrayals
Dispelling Myths: The Power of Research Methods
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS The Health Benefits of Alcohol Consumption
Myths about Crime—Drug Users Are Violent
Myths about Police—Female Police Officers Do Not Perform as Well as Males
Myths about Courts—The Death Penalty Is Administered Fairly
Myths about Corrections—Imprisonment Is the Most Severe Form of Punishment
What Is Research and Why Is It Important to Be an Informed Consumer of Research?
How Is Knowledge Development through Research Different?
Being an Informed Consumer of Research
The Research Process
Step 1: Select a Topic and Conduct a Literature Review
Step 2: Develop a Research Question
Step 3: Develop a Hypothesis
Step 4: Operationalize Concepts
Step 5: Develop the Research Plan and Methodology
Step 6: Execute the Research Plan and Collect Data
Step 7: Analyze Data
Step 8: Report Findings, Results, and Limitations
Research in Action: Impacting Criminal Justice Operations
Police Research Example
Courts Research Example
WHAT RESEARCH SHOWS: IMPACTING CRIMINAL JUSTICE OPERATIONS The Punishment Cost of Being Young, Black, and Male
Corrections Research Example
Chapter Summary
Critical Thinking Questions
Key Terms
Endnotes
CHAPTER 2: Getting Started: The Beginnings and Pitfalls of Research
Case Study: Stanford Prison Experiment
Introduction
Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice Research
Unethical Research
CLASSICS IN CJ RESEARCH Current Applications of Classic Situational Obedience Research
Restrictions on the Study of Human Subjects
HEW Guidelines
National Commission for the Protections of Human Subjects
Institutional Review Boards
Informed Consent
Sensitive Issues in Criminal Justice
Monetary Reward
Methodological Considerations
Confidentiality and Anonymity
Certificates of Confidentiality
WHAT RESEARCH SHOWS: IMPACTING CRIMINAL JUSTICE OPERATIONS Crime Prediction Software
A Language All Its Own
Criminology as a Social Science
Social Science as a Discipline
Objectivity
Categorizing Research
The Role of Theory in Research
Creating a Question and Hypothesizing
Reliability and Validity
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS Examining the “CSI Effect”
Information Literacy and the Structure of Research Papers
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS The Controversy Regarding Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Chapter Summary
Critical Thinking Questions
Key Terms
Endnotes
CHAPTER 3: Sampling Methods
Case Study: Rehabilitation versus Incarceration of Juvenile Offenders
Introduction
CLASSICS IN CJ RESEARCH A Snowball’s Chance in Hell: Doing Fieldwork with Active Residential Burglars
What Is Sampling?
Uses of Sampling
Why Sample?
Representativeness and Generalizability
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS CDC Surveys Irk Citizens
Sampling Error and Sample Size
Probability Sampling Methods
Simple Random Sampling
Stratified Random Sampling
WHAT RESEARCH SHOWS: IMPACTING CRIMINAL JUSTICE OPERATIONS The Impact of Prison Rape Research
Systematic Random Sampling
Cluster/Multistage Random Sampling
Non-Probability Sampling Methods
Convenience Sampling
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS Wild West Universities
Purposive Sampling
Quota Sampling
Snowball Sampling
Chapter Summary
Critical Thinking Questions
Key Terms
Endnotes
CHAPTER 4: Survey Research
Case Study: National Crime Victimization Survey
Introduction
Survey Components
Issues in Survey Development: Nonresponse and Survey Design
Nonresponse
WHAT RESEARCH SHOWS: IMPACTING CRIMINAL JUSTICE OPERATIONS What Causes Inmates to Riot?
Survey Question Design
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS Want a Job? Check the Spelling on Your Facebook Profile
Survey Measurement Quality: Validity and Reliability
Assessing Validity
Increasing Validity
CLASSICS IN CJ RESEARCH The Relationship Between Correctional Officers’ Race and their Attitudes
Increasing Validity: Using Scales and Indexes
Assessing Reliability
Increasing Reliability
Survey Distribution Methods
Self-Administered Surveys
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS Survey Shows More Teens Using Synthetic Drugs
Personal Interviews
Which Method of Survey Distribution Should a Researcher Use?
Chapter Summary
Critical Thinking Questions
Key Terms
Endnotes
CHAPTER 5: Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs
Case Study: The Impact of Teen Court
Introduction
The Challenge of Establishing Cause and Effect
CLASSICS IN CJ RESEARCH Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment
The Classic Experimental Design
Major Components of the Classic Experimental Design
The Logic of the Classic Experimental Design
WHAT RESEARCH SHOWS: IMPACTING CRIMINAL JUSTICE OPERATIONS Scared Straight
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS Swearing Makes Pain More Tolerable
Variations on the Experimental Design
Post-Test Only Experimental Design
Experimental Design with Two Treatments and a Control Group
Experimental Designs Are Rare in Criminal Justice and Criminology
Quasi-Experimental Designs
Nonequivalent Group Design
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS The Effects of Red Light Camera (RLC) Enforcement
One-Group Longitudinal Design
Two-Group Longitudinal Design
The Threat of Alternative Explanations
Selection Bias
History
Maturation
Attrition or Subject Mortality
Testing or Testing Bias
Instrumentation
Reactivity
Other Potential Alternative Explanations
Chapter Summary
Critical Thinking Questions
Key Terms
Endnotes
CHAPTER 6: Qualitative Research in Criminal Justice
Case Study: Exploring the Culture of “Urban Scrounging”
Introduction
Field Research
The Study of Behavior
Types of Field Research: A Continuum
Advantages and Disadvantages of Field Research by Method
CLASSICS IN CJ RESEARCH Youth Violence and the Code of the Street
WHAT RESEARCH SHOWS: IMPACTING CRIMINAL JUSTICE OPERATIONS Application of Field Research Methods in Undercover Investigations
Ethical Dilemmas for Field Researchers
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS Field Research Hits Prime Time
Examples of Field Research in Criminal Justice
Case Studies
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS Making Critical Choices as a Field Researcher
Chapter Summary
Critical Thinking Questions
Key Terms
Endnotes
CHAPTER 7: Unobtrusive Methods
Case Study: Crime Reporting on Cable News
Introduction
Reactivity and the Need for Unobtrusive Research
The Impact of Reactivity on Research Findings
Unobtrusive Methods
CLASSICS IN CJ RESEARCH The Lost Letter Technique
WHAT RESEARCH SHOWS: IMPACTING CRIMINAL JUSTICE OPERATIONS Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Historical Research
Content Analysis
Observation
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS Mock Jury Decides Scott Peterson Case
Simulation
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS “Lost and Found” in the Archives
Chapter Summary
Critical Thinking Questions
Key Terms
Endnotes
CHAPTER 8: Putting It All Together: Understanding and Assessing Criminal Justice Research
Case Study: Developing a Valid Racial Profiling Benchmark
Introduction
The Research Process
Step 1: Select a Topic and Conduct a Literature Review
Step 2: Develop a Research Question
Step 3: Develop a Hypothesis
Step 4: Operationalize Concepts
Step 5: Develop the Research Plan and Methodology
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS Road Rage Common Among Commuters
Step 6: Execute the Research Plan and Collect Data
Step 7: Analyze Data
Step 8: Report Findings, Results, and Limitations
Structure of Research Articles and Reports
Title
Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review
WHAT RESEARCH SHOWS: IMPACTING CRIMINAL JUSTICE OPERATIONS Civil Commitment of Sex Offenders: Are the Right Offenders Identified and Public Safety Increased?
Methods
Results/Findings
Discussion
Conclusion
References
External Indicators of Research Quality
Researcher Reputation
Institutional Reputation
Journal Quality
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS Are Parents Creating Einsteins or Homer Simpsons?
Internal Indicators of Research Quality
Questions to Ask about Research Articles
CLASSICS IN CJ RESEARCH Factors that Influence Police Decisions Regarding Juveniles
Article Critique: Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment
Chapter Summary
Critical Thinking Questions
Endnotes
CHAPTER 9: Basic Statistics for Consumers
Case Study: Gang Involvement and Violent Victimization
Introduction
CLASSICS IN CJ RESEARCH The Criminal Investigation Process
Hypothetical Research Scenario: Prison Smoking Ban
The Situation
The Design
Selection of Cellblocks
Collection of Additional Secondary Data
Levels of Measurement Revisited
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS A Just Measure of Crime: The Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)
Statistics for Examining One Variable
Measures of Central Tendency
Measures of Variation
Statistics for Examining Two Variables
WHAT THE RESEARCH SHOWS: IMPACTING CRIMINAL JUSTICE OPERATIONS Why is .05 the Traditional Level Indicating Statistical Significance?
Testing for a Statistically Significant Relationship
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS STATS.ORG: The Numbers behind the News
Statistics for Examining More Than Two Variables
OLS Regression
Logistic Regression
Chapter Summary
Critical Thinking Questions
Key Terms
Endnotes
APPENDIX A: The Specific Deterrent Effects of Arrest for Domestic Assault
GLOSSARY
