Criminal Justice Research

Criminal Justice Research

Introduction

Crime refers to a set of acts that are carried out against the laws which are normally implemented and generally accepted by the entire society overall. Crime can also be defined as 'the conduct of a person or persons who do not meet the requirements of the given society and violate the laws of that particular society'. As a result, the crime may differ depending on criminal code of each country. A criminal who commits crime on several occasions can be regarded an anti-social person, since his or her actions undermine the normal functioning of the society, endangering a different nature to its members. Crime is a unique human behavior, however it is not a spontaneous phenomenon; there are always factors that cause or trigger crime.

Criminal Justice Research Process

The research process has to begin with a clearly defined goal. The entire research will be designed around the defined goal and it is necessary to address a unique issue and also build upon previous research as well as any accepted fundamentals. The research process will require an interpretation of the results. Once any data is gathered during the research process it will be reviewed to provide a conclusion to the hypothesis. Any research process requires there to be a clear procedure to ensure that the experiment can be duplicated and the outcome has verifiable results. An important part of the research process is the planning and design of the experiment method. The experimental method should help answer any specific predictions and questions surrounding the research.

The general steps in empirical research in criminal justice are problem formulation, research design, data collection methods, analysis and presentation of findings and conclusions, interpretations, and limitations. The problem formulation involves the review, selection, and specification of the area to be investigated. The research design is the type of experimental or non-experimental approach. The data collection methods will be a variety of methods such as observation, questionnaires, and interviews. The presentation of the findings will include a summary and report of the findings. The conclusion will include what the research believes the study has proven.

There are different categories of research in criminal justice. The descriptive research attempts to define and describe the social phenomena under investigation. Exploratory research seeks to identify the underlying meaning behind actions and individual behavior. Explanatory research will seek to identify the cause and effect of social phenomena. The evaluation research will seek to determine the effects of an intervention on individual behavior. These research methods were designed to be used interactively to help gain a better understanding of the question under investigation. The research methods help provide the tools that are necessary to approach issues in criminal justice from a more rigorous standpoint.

Verification is the confirmation of the accuracy of findings or attainment of greater certitude in conclusions through additional observations. In criminal justice, theory represents an attempt to develop plausible explanations of reality of crime and the criminal justice system. A theory will attempt to classify and ...