CRJU 3020: Research Methods In Criminal Justice

2nd circulating copy is available @ the same call number on Library North, floor 5

The Criminal Justice Student Writer's Manual, Fifth Edition is designed to help students learn how to research and write in criminal justice and improve their writing skills. Taking a comprehensive approach, it discusses the writing process, the mechanics of writing, the importance of research and how to cite sources. Now expanded to six parts, this edition includes a new chapter on writing probation and parole reports. Combining both guidelines and samples, it prepares students to write a variety of criminal justice papers, from condensed presentations to complex reports. Some new features include: A new section on paragraph development Updated information on the American Sociological Association's Style Guide Updated information on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association- Expanded section on avoiding plagiarism Expanded section on Criminal Justice information on the World Wide Web New! PART V, REPORT WRITING IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE MARKET: Students or professionals needing a resource on writing reaction papers, article critiques, police reports, agency case studies, and policy analysis papers.

The criminal justice process is dependent on accurate documentation. Criminal justice professionals can spend 50-75% of their time writing administrative and research reports. Report Writing for Criminal Justice Professionals, Fifth Editionprovides practical guidance--with specific writing samples and guidelines--for providing strong reports. Much of the legal process depends on careful documentation and the crucial information that lies within, but most law enforcement, security, corrections, and probation and parole officers have not had adequate training in how to provide well-written, accurate, brief, and complete reports.Report Writing for Criminal Justice Professionalscovers everything officers need to learn--from basic English grammar to the difficult but often-ignored problem of creating documentation that will hold up in court. This new edition is updated to include timely information, including extensive coverage of digital reporting, updates on legal issues and privacy rights, and expanded coverage of forensics and scientific reporting.

his user-friendly guide to effective writing for the justice system teaches readers to write cogently and accurately across the spectrum of criminal justice-related disciplines. With an examination of common writing problems that interfere with good reporting and documentation, the book's content underscores the importance of skilled written communication as a cornerstone of competent practice within criminology.

This third edition is designed as an introduction to research methods in criminal justice techniques. The detailed information that is generated by research is a management tool that has become a significant part of criminal justice operations. The text discusses the purposes, process, and uses of research that focus on identifying what information is already known about a particular topic or question. Ethical issues in criminal justice research are reviewed, as is investigating the validity and reliability of crime data sources. Also offered is an introduction to research design--the plan or blueprint for a complete research project. The principles of sampling are thoroughly discussed as is survey research, a common form of gathering information in the criminal justice setting. A review of the concept of scaling and some common methods of scale construction are introduced. Additional major topics include qualitative interviews and observational studies in qualitative research, as well as a wide variety of research techniques that comprise evaluation research. The definitions and examples provided in the book will help students and practitioners to both comprehend research articles and reports and to conduct their own research. Each of the authors brings specific areas of expertise to the text, and they are familiar with the research process and have worked together on several published studies. The text is designed primarily for persons with little or no research background and provides real-world examples and clear definitions of terms and concepts.

This concise text introduces students to the fundamental methodologies of research in criminology and criminal justice, with an emphasis on the application of research methods directly relevant to the real world of criminal justice. By using storytelling that draws on actual field experiences to engage students' interest, Criminological and Criminal Justice Research Methods, Second Edition takes a unique approach compared to other textbooks on the market. Regardless of students' career goals, this text engages their interest while imparting current information on and approaches to the most important and useful criminological and criminal justice research methods. New to the Second Edition: Explanation of mixed-methods research Presentation of propensity score matching Discussion of the Philadelphia Birth Cohort Studies Introduction of the terms "legacy rape" and "revised rape" Updated discussion of computer-assisted personal (or programmed) interviewing (CAPI) and new discussion of Smart-Phone Based Surveys or Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMAs) Revised discussion of informed consent Updated scholarly references throughout (reflecting the latest studies) Greatly expanded presentation of types of qualitative studies Professors and students will benefit from: Text that engages students and makes material accessible through concise writing and structure A comprehensive, carefully sequenced approach to understanding, evaluating, and conducting criminological and criminal justice research Research methodology and skills that are made available and meaningful to those students intending to conduct their own research as well as to those seeking pragmatic, up-to-date knowledge of the developments in the field Emphasis on ethical methods and use of research An active exploration of the intersection of criminological theory and research methods Coverage of methodological failures as well as successes to stimulate student discussion and understanding of the topic's importance and nuances

Introduction to Criminal Justice Research Methods: An Applied Approach is a text designed to assist criminal justice students and practitioners to conduct research on problems and issues facing the criminal justice system.

The eleven chapters in this volume of Sociology of Crime, Law and Deviance discuss a variety of issues of methodological significance in research in the fields of criminology and criminal justice studies. As scholarly work on various aspects of crime, deviance, criminal justice, and social control has progressed tremendously in recent decades, both in terms of scope as well as with respect to theoretical approaches, the employed methods of investigation have also broadened and advanced to be as sophisticated as those used in any other area of contemporary social-science inquiry. The authors in this volume demonstrate the methodological maturity and diversity of current empirical research in criminology and criminal justice in a number of areas, such as general trends of crime, criminal networks, violence against women, sex work, elder financial exploitation, school safety, immigrant detention, extremism on the internet, and human trafficking.  Presenting a state-of-the-art overview of criminological and criminal justice methodologies today, this book is of interest to a wide range of scholars and students in the fields of criminology, sociology, justice policy, and criminal justice.

This book offers a comprehensive and well-rounded view of research as a tool for problem-solving in the wide range of the social sciences. It is built on the foundation of philosophical pragmatism, postulating that the value of knowledge and research methodologies lie in their usefulness in engaging with the real world. The book synthesizes both positivist and non-positivist methodologies. It is meant for students who are undertaking their first research course or project. The techniques, while basic in nature, are used in many masters and doctoral research studies. The book uses engaging language, real-life examples from various subject areas and follows an inductive approach. With the help of this book, from an experiential base, students should be able to build a more advanced conceptual and theoretical understanding of research through further reading and practice. This book discusses a policy-applied-pure-action model of research covering both quantitative and qualitative methods for case study, survey and experimental designs. It pays considerable attention to measurement principles and to data analysis techniques that make practical use of Microsoft Excel for analysis of both words and numbers. It includes a building block approach to writing, as well as the author's thoughts on application of research in the real world.

Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology is a core text for criminology and criminal justice research methods courses. It strives to offer a general foundation of knowledge that transcends particular topics or subject areas, allowing students to apply research methods and concepts to a multitude of scenarios. Even though the textbook has been written primarily for criminal justice and criminology majors, there is an underlying recognition that research methods and findings are common among all of the social sciences. This text has been designed to be user-friendly, even when dealing with some fairly complex statistical and theoretical concepts. The most critical points are clearly stated and illustrated with examples chosen to be interesting in their own right.

Filled with criminal justice and criminology examples, it demonstrates how research is relevant to the field and what tools are needed to actually conduct that research. Streamlined in this edition, it offers distinct coverage of qualitative research and quantitative research.

The authors present basic statistical principles and practices on which students build knowledge and data analysis skills. Both mathematical procedures and guidelines for using SPSS to manipulate information are included.

It provides varied examples of qualitative research methods applications for the study and analysis of the field.

This concise text introduces students to the fundamental methodologies of research in criminology and criminal justice, with an emphasis on the application of research methods directly relevant to the real world of criminal justice.

Qualitative methods are used to study cultural or social events (think observation; think narrative) it does not include numbers or data.

Represents a more holistic approach to Qualitative Research than has been typical in the past
Offers a more post-modern interpretation that values the non-linear nature of qualitative research by introducing five research contexts
Highlights the role of ongoing qualitative research and its connection to individual methodologies
Invites the reader to engage reflectively with the issues