Scientific in Criminal Justice, Research Paper Example

In several ways, scientific research isrelated to criminal research: the use of logical order and established measures to resolve realworld predicaments.Science is an activitydevoted to “find out” (Hagan, 2010, p. 2). No matter what one wants to find out, though, there are expected to be great many ways of going about it. Topics examined by Hagan (2010)address the foundation of social science, different general approaches to doing research in criminal justice.In fact, each and every aspect of research designis interrelated. The twostrongpillars of scientific researches are logic, or reasonableness, and examination.What isfairlycorrect and incorrect in criminal justiceresearch is at the endbecomes an issueof what peoplehave the same opinion on what is correct and incorrect.

Researchers or criminologists are not the best adjudicators availableto judge whether their own studysuccessfullyaddress all ethical issues required.Nearly all ethical questions entailweighing up the potential benefits of study against the possibility for harmingthe research subjects (Hagan, 2010, p. 61). A scientific understanding from this reading of the world makes sense and agrees with what one observes. Both of these elements are considered essential to social science and relate to three key aspects of the general scientific research: theory, data analysis and data collection.

Application To A Career In Criminal Justice

As a general rule, scientific research deals with the logical (common sense or nonsense) facets of science, data collection techniques deal with the aspects of observation, and data analysis looks for examples in what is exactly observed (Hagan, 2010, p. 4). Because criminal justice confronts societal issues as they are happening right now, the people who work in criminal justice comprise a microcosm of society. The relatively mediocre pay, difficult hours, odd days off, public’s perception of the job, limited opportunity for promotions and inherent danger are issues that may make the job unacceptable to some. This field is so energetic and is quicklygrowing.It is nowalmost difficult to foretell what the opportunity holds for criminal justice career. For example, the current issues surrounding the Internet – including concerns about privacy, security of information (especially credit card data) and the legitimacy of electronic signatures – all concern law enforcement.

Scientific ResearchAffect Criminal Justice Research

Doing scientific research in criminal justice is different from the casual ways one learns about things because regular modes of inquiry have some built-in limits. Involvement in criminal justice research or investigationmust, on the whole, be voluntary. This rule, on the other hand, can contradict the scientific requirement for generalizability.Overgeneralization simplytook place when results are drawn about persons that would be relied oninformation of similar persons. “All lawyers are liars!” is an example of it.

Casual investigation(comparedto scientific investigation) influenced by thesources of information. Additionally, there are several drawbacks that create errors in criminologist’s (as a researcher’s) observations. Casual inquiry may be faulty because of “incorrect observation, overgeneralization, selective observation, and unscientificway of thinking”.If the professional who design and conduct research projects can fail to recognize ethical “horrors” (Hagan, 2010, p. 62), how can such problems are avoided? Certain types of criminal justice studies present special ethical problems. Applied research, for instance, may evaluate some existing or new program. Evaluations frequently have the potential to disrupt the routine operations of agencies being studied. Obviously, it is best to minimize such interferences whenever possible.

Analyzing Research Studies

Criminologists and researchers in criminal justice generally use one of the several methods when carrying out scientific research: surveys, interviews, observation, secondary data analysis, and the collection and organization of data that is already available. There are many reasons scientists do engage in social research. As examples, academicians may use social research to test theories, and/or to produce knowledge about the patterns and sources of social phenomenon. The result is amethodical search for the most precise and fullexplanation of events that are being analyzed.

Under the tenets of scientific terminology, it is important that theory be explicitly stated. Theories accomplish this principle by containing statements that create a link between two or more events. In addition, certain other tests are generally recognized and articulated as basics of “good theory” that, by explanation, allows for a plausible explanation of why events occur (Hagan, 2010, p. 60). The criminologistsmust seek out to make use of the main perspective of elements like empiricism (thatlooks forexactanswers through direct observations), doubts (that looks for disconfirmingproofs and the ongoing process to question the results and the information that have been gathered), objectivity (thatpermitsthe results areexclusively based on watchful observationsandobserves the world as it is, not including any prejudice or personal sentiments), ethical neutrality (that relies on neutrality by stressing on that the researcher’s personalattitude are not allowed to manipulate the overall research process or its consequences), parsimony (an effort to lessen the amount of possible clarifications for any event to almostnegligible), correctness (it entails the explanation be recorded in a correct way exactly as they took place) and accuracy (specifying exactly the amount of subcategories of anidea that is available) to review a particular theoretical account.

References

Hagan, Frank E. (2010). Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology. Eighth Edition. Prentice Hall.