Everest College Using Quantitative Methods in Criminal Justice Discussion
What are the strengths and weaknesses of using quantitative methods in Criminal Justice? How can academicians use data analysis to inform public decisions and educate public leaders on the application of quantitative methods?
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here is the two classmate u need to respond back toJessicaEvery research question serves as the foundation for forming a developed plan through framework of the conceptual structure that bridges the research question with the data collection and data analysis. The epistemology of data evidence can be sourced from various means. Academicians rely upon charts, graphs, tables and numerical and variable sequences compiled and other second hand information in order to come up with answers through the identification of problems, share findings and create remedial possibilities. All of the data have value and tell a unique story, which helps the particular study make sense.Research is problem-centered, just as are mathematical problems, and the ultimate aim is producing solutions, while remaining capable and successful of defending strategical problem-solving steps. Quantitative research has all started with your basic x = __ algebraic equation, yet hypothetically quantitative methodology is not solely about solving for x but giving x meaning in its position and interpreting and demonstrating how it relates to and behaves with other variables and the topic and subject matter on the whole. In quantitative, the variable is representative of the language of the study. The statistical analysis comprehensively develops and builds upon the theory. Each public issue conceptualizes a theory that necessitates quantification (or a qualitative approach). There are so very many issues with which public leaders must contend. The scope and transparency of the most heated topics and controversial issues need to be clear to leaders just as do the characteristics of more subtle issues that can easily be ignored. Peacekeeping easily gets ignored, and this is surprising owing to the nature and the way that harmony is contingent to society functioning smoothly and in an organized and ordered manner. Social order, by far, is the most important issue for leaders.It is a less organized region and less organized world, especially in the social media and tech age, where data collection and analysis (too contributing largely to the creation of pathways for criminal behavior and organized crime to take place), allow for measure and for the metrics to help everything be seen more clearly, …make more sense. It helps us come together and make sense out of chaos. Formatting data is essentially helpful to Law Enforcement in breaking down the patterns and trends in crime activity in the articulation of micro and macro analysis (Hagan, 1989; McCarter, Venkitasubramanian & Bradshaw, 2019). Once the units of analysis are visible and narrowed in on, many problems can be solved. This may include anything from solving a string of home burglaries to improving general tactical and routine operations in police departments to curing hunger or homelessness per a vulnerable population, for example, or aiding in counterterrorism, gang activity intervention, drug busts and crackdowns in hotspots. In Criminal Justice, quantitative data and statistical analysis are beneficial for officer job performance assessment, departmental organization and recruitment of officers (Meier, Brudney & Bohte, 2015). In decision making for public decisions, as a strength, issues can be evaluated through statistical analysis and essential areas can be identified and scaled for level of imperativeness and cruciality and addressed accordingly (Meier, Brudney & Bohte, 2015).Quantification and statistical analysis come in handy in all sectors (Meier, Brudney & Bohte, 2015). An ultimate statistical weakness is accepting findings uncritically (Meier, Brudney & Bohte, 2015). In police departments and the investigation process such an instance could backfire, push a case much further behind and disturb clearance/success rates. In Criminal Justice, quantitative weaknesses can be found in the dark figures of crime and underreported crime/victimizations and other unreported bits of information. In Criminal Justice, weaknesses of quantitative methods can come of data misinterpretation and misinformation. In Criminal Justice, weaknesses of quantitative methods can, too, be found in the fake news and fallacious fact checking, which can in turn serve to confuse public opinion and department priorities and be disruptive in terms of micro and macro analysis, time-place management and preventative patrol, fueling into the scarcity of man hours for departments, (while too political energy may end up shifting toward unnecessary areas). The distribution of labor and generous degree of officer availability are extremely vitally important just as is prioritizing of the public issues.The Lord hath furnished us with minds of our own, hath offered many the gift of brilliance to utilize and offers all the beauty of magnanimousness, so let the upholders of injustice and inequitable systems be exposed and subjected to the spoils of their will and may they come to their senses (Romans 13:1). May those who abuse their knowledge and the power of their positions be saved from themselves and be forced to recognize fairness. Alone a fail at inclusion is a form of vanity, which is a sin amongst others.ReferencesHagan, J. (1989). Why is there so little criminal justice theory? Neglected macro-and micro-level links between organization and power. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 26(2), 116-135.McCarter, S., Venkitasubramanian, K., & Bradshaw, K. (2019). Addressing the school-to-prison pipeline: Examining micro-and macro-level variables that affect school disengagement and subsequent felonies. Journal of Social Service Research.Meier, Kenneth J., Brudney, Jeffrey L., & Bohte, John (2015). Applied statistics for public and nonprofit administration (9th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
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Jeffrey According to Pratt in 2010, for a long time there has existed a power struggle between quantitative and qualitative approaches to criminal justice and criminological research. While it is true that the debate regarding the merit of both quantitative and qualitative approaches to research is not limited to criminal justice researchers that debate has nonetheless been fervent amongst criminal justice researchers (Pratt, 2010). In 2000, according to Worrall, the debate has been so intense between the two schools of research that opposing camps have emerged, and these groups consist of individual researchers that who have strong loyalties and allegiances to their own peer?reviewed journals, and terms like “quantoids” have been developed for researchers that prefer quantitative research methods and the label has been used both as an insult as well as a badge of honor depending on what side of the debate one is on. In 2000, Worrall argued that DiCristina's (1977) JCJE article concerning the quantitative emphasis in criminal justice curriculums overlooked one of the more profound merits associated with quantitative research when he proposed that both methods should receive equal attention, and Worrall also argued that DiCristina underestimated the contribution quantitative methods have made to policy, and lastly Worrall argued that DiCristina confused theoretical problems with methodological problems when he evaluated the connection between quantitative methodology and crime control policy (Worrall, 2000). What are the strengths and weaknesses of using quantitative methods in Criminal Justice? One of the proposed weaknesses of quantitative research methods are that they tend to be developed at such a fast pace that graduate curricula simply cannot keep current. In other words, a major sourced of opposition to quantitative research methods emanates from the world of academia simply because academicians struggle tremendously to keep up with the rapid pace at which quantitative research methods are being developed or modified (Pratt, 2010). In 2014, according to Groeneveld et al., one important argument for choosing either qualitative or quantitative methods is the unit of analysis. Considering that criminal justice research problems focus especially on human attitudes and more specifically human behavior, quantitative methods can be applied to the research problems of criminal justice relatively easily (Groeneveld et al., 2014). Quantitative research methods are based on objective measurements and the statistical, mathematical, or numerical analysis of data collected through various sources such as polls, questionnaires, and surveys, and or through the manipulation of pre-existing statistical data through the use of computational techniques. The focus of quantitative research is on gathering numerical data and generalizing it across groups of people and or to explain a specific phenomenon (LeTourneau University, 2020). In 2014, according to Meier et al., statistics which we have identified as a form of quantitative research data possess the ability to describe a body of information or data systematically which can be used to provide a background for decision making. Statistics stands alone when it comes to the ability to provide precision and quantification and statistics possess the ability show very precisely the average, as well as the variability, in a subset or sample of data or in the population as a whole. Using statistics in criminal justice research proves to be very useful for testing ideas empirically by being based on actual crime data or observations. As criminal justice researchers we often develop intuitive ideas about how a process or phenomenon operates effectively developing a hypothesis or informed guess about a problem of interest so testing our intuition with empirical testing enables us to test our hypothesis with data and observation. We can further utilize statistics in order to evaluate the extent to which the available data either supports or refutes our hypotheses. This use constitutes the hypothesis-testing function of statistics (Meier et al., 2014).How can academicians use data analysis to inform public decisions and educate public leaders on the application of quantitative methods? In 2014, according to Meier et al., statistics is the best method to use in making an accurate inference from a subset or sample of data. It is rare occurrence if it ever occurs at all that an academician has the ability to work with the complete population of any particular study; but rather, the available data sets almost always represent only a sample of observations. Despite this fact, academicians use the sample of data to generalize or infer that their observations will be indicative of what exists in the entire population. Due to the fact that academicians do not have the data from the entire population they are studying, they can and often do still make errors in inferring from the sample to the whole population. Despite this limitation, statistics are valuable, because they enable the research analyst to estimate for the probability or extent of any present and or expected errors (Meier et al., 2014).Christian Worldview The Holy Bible tells us, “Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, every male, head by head” (New American Standard Bible, 1971/1995 Numbers 1 1:2), and I interpret this scripture to mean that the use of quantitative research measurements such as statistics, surveys, polls and even a census have been ordained by God and that it is right for us to use these types of measurements in our academic research efforts. Clearly the Holy Bible communicates to us the Lord’s approval of quantitative research measurements when the Lord calls on Moses to utilize them for the purpose of numbering the people of Israel and determining the number of men from twenty years old and upward, or whoever was able to go to war (New American Standard Bible, 1971/1995).ReferencesDiCristina, B. (1997). The quantitative emphasis in criminal justice education. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 8(2), 181-199. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511259700086291Groeneveld, S., Tummers, L., Bronkhorst, B., Ashikali, T., & Van Thiel, S. (2014). Quantitative methods in public administration: Their use and development through time. International Public Management Journal, 18(1), 61-86. https://doi.org/10.1080/10967494.2014.972484