Assignment 1: How Research Benefits the Criminal Justice System

 
Criminal justice research benefits society, the practitioner, and you as a student in many ways. The research provides a base of learning competencies regarding various criminal justice research methods and statistics related to criminology and crime, crime control, justice, and policy-making decisions.
As a student of criminal justice, you will be exposed to various practical research endeavors and designs in all areas of the criminal justice system. You will learn a variety of research methods and designs related to criminal justice statistics. Understanding criminal justice research will help you develop practical, critical, analytical, and thinking skills, both as an interpreter and user of criminal justice research and policy decision making.
Tasks:

Access the databases of articles from each of the following websites:
    
National Institute of Justice Data Collections
National Criminal Justice Reference Service Databases


Review the databases for a topic that interests you and select one article for review and comment. Be sure to select an article that describes research pertinent to the criminal justice system.

the due date Oct 13, in a minimum of 250 words, post to the Discussion Area your response to the following:

Discuss the researcher's findings in the article you selected.
What was the purpose of the study?
Who was the audience for this study?
What were the conclusions?
What research methods were used to obtain these conclusions? Was it a qualitative or quantitative approach?
Did the researchers use individual or aggregate data? Was it a cross sectional or a longitudinal study?
What is the impact of the study? Will it impact a specific agency or was it an informational study?

Discussion Grading Criteria and Rubric
Grading CriteriaMaximum PointsQuality of initial posting, including fulfillment of assignment instructions16Quality of responses to classmates12Frequency of responses to classmates4Reference to supporting readings and other materials4Language and grammar4Total:40


Assignment 2: Evaluating Funding Requests: Juvenile Boot Camp Programs
Centervale councilman Pete Parsimonious has received funding requests for two competing juvenile corrections boot camp programs and requires your assistance on how to evaluate program success through appropriate research. There is a general perception that one of the two programs is only marginally successful while the other succeeds through much lower recidivism rates. Of course, the director for each program cites the outstanding success of his or her program in the funding application but fails to provide any research data to support these claims.
The intent of this assignment is to help you refer to empirical-based observations that can be quantitative (e.g., expressed as numbers) or qualitative (e.g., expressed as objects, words, or pictures)—specifically, the assignment will help you understand why one boot camp excels over the other in statistical terms particularly relating to lower recidivism rates.
Tasks:

Conduct research related to juvenile justice boot camp programs using the Argosy University Online Library resources, the National Institute of Justice Data Collections, or the National Criminal Justice Reference Service Databases.
Look for potential pitfalls in boot camp programs. Select two articles from your research that have taken different approaches to evaluate boot camp programs.
Based on the programs you read about, prepare a memo. In the memo:
    
Describe the research approaches and types of data that were utilized in each of the two studies.
Identify any ethical issues Parsimonious should be concerned about as a city councilman making a recommendation to invest public funds in a program of this type. Provide the reason for your choice.
Discuss whether either of these approaches should be recommended to Parsimonious and support your position based on the effectiveness and impact of the program. You might also comment on the setbacks or failure issues if reported in the studies you have chosen.
Be sure to cite the resources you used in the APA style.

Assignment 3 Grading CriteriaMaximum PointsDescribed the research approaches and types of data used in each of the studies.16Analyzed and justified the ethical issues that Parsimonious should be concerned about.20Analyzed and justified the approach that should be recommended to Parsimonious and stated any setback or failure issues reported in the research studies.28Cited resources in the APA format.16Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in the accurate representation and attribution of sources; and displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.20Total:100



Assignment 2: How Research Benefits the Budgeting Process
Centervale councilman Parsimonious has requested your help on a budgetary matter. The councilman is considering a proposal to change police work schedules to four 10-hour days rather than five 8-hour days to conserve his budget. He has approached you for help in determining which might be the best option.
Access the databases of articles from each of the following websites and locate at least two articles that can help support your research recommendations for Councilman Parsimonious:

National Institute of Justice Data Collections
National Criminal Justice Reference Service Databases

Submission Details:
By the due date assigned, in a minimum of 250 words, post your responses to the following to the Discussion Area:

What issues must be considered for research, i.e., what are the pros and cons of creating a shift change?
What types of research (qualitative versus quantitative) would provide the best information for the councilman to develop his proposal? Be sure to explain why.
What would be a beneficial sample size?
How could officer sentiments on working longer shifts and fewer days be incorporated?
What are the specific steps in the research process that Councilman Parsimonious and his staff will have to take that will be most beneficial to them.

Be sure to support your recommendations citing your textbook as well as the research articles you found.
Through the end of the module, read and respond to at least two of your classmates' posts. Consider commenting on whether your fellow students' postings addressed some of the pros and cons of a shift change and whether the research methods they suggest will address the issues they raise.
Discussion Grading Criteria and Rubric
Grading CriteriaMaximum PointsQuality of initial posting, including fulfillment of assignment instructions16Quality of responses to classmates12Frequency of responses to classmates4Reference to supporting readings and other materials4Language and grammar4Total:40

Assignment 1: How Research Benefits the Budgeting Process
Centervale councilman Parsimonious has requested your help on a budgetary matter. The councilman is considering a proposal to change police work schedules to four 10-hour days rather than five 8-hour days to conserve his budget. He has approached you for help in determining which might be the best option.
Access the databases of articles from each of the following websites and locate at least two articles that can help support your research recommendations for Councilman Parsimonious:

National Institute of Justice Data Collections
National Criminal Justice Reference Service Databases

Submission Details:
By the due date assigned, in a minimum of 250 words, post your responses to the following to the Discussion Area:

What issues must be considered for research, i.e., what are the pros and cons of creating a shift change?
What types of research (qualitative versus quantitative) would provide the best information for the councilman to develop his proposal? Be sure to explain why.
What would be a beneficial sample size?
How could officer sentiments on working longer shifts and fewer days be incorporated?
What are the specific steps in the research process that Councilman Parsimonious and his staff will have to take that will be most beneficial to them.

Be sure to support your recommendations citing your textbook as well as the research articles you found.
Through the end of the module, read and respond to at least two of your classmates' posts. Consider commenting on whether your fellow students' postings addressed some of the pros and cons of a shift change and whether the research methods they suggest will address the issues they raise.
Discussion Grading Criteria and Rubric
Grading CriteriaMaximum PointsQuality of initial posting, including fulfillment of assignment instructions16Quality of responses to classmates12Frequency of responses to classmates4Reference to supporting readings and other materials4Language and grammar4Total:
40


Assignment 1: How Research Benefits the Budgeting Process
Centervale councilman Parsimonious has requested your help on a budgetary matter. The councilman is considering a proposal to change police work schedules to four 10-hour days rather than five 8-hour days to conserve his budget. He has approached you for help in determining which might be the best option.
Access the databases of articles from each of the following websites and locate at least two articles that can help support your research recommendations for Councilman Parsimonious:

National Institute of Justice Data Collections
National Criminal Justice Reference Service Databases

Submission Details:
By the due date assigned, in a minimum of 250 words, post your responses to the following to the Discussion Area:

What issues must be considered for research, i.e., what are the pros and cons of creating a shift change?
What types of research (qualitative versus quantitative) would provide the best information for the councilman to develop his proposal? Be sure to explain why.
What would be a beneficial sample size?
How could officer sentiments on working longer shifts and fewer days be incorporated?
What are the specific steps in the research process that Councilman Parsimonious and his staff will have to take that will be most beneficial to them.

Be sure to support your recommendations citing your textbook as well as the research articles you found.
Through the end of the module, read and respond to at least two of your classmates' posts. Consider commenting on whether your fellow students' postings addressed some of the pros and cons of a shift change and whether the research methods they suggest will address the issues they raise.
Discussion Grading Criteria and Rubric
Grading CriteriaMaximum PointsQuality of initial posting, including fulfillment of assignment instructions16Quality of responses to classmates12Frequency of responses to classmates4Reference to supporting readings and other materials4Language and grammar4Total:40