Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice

With Selected Readings

NEW TO THIS EDITION:    

• New sections reflecting recent developments in research methods ethics (Ch. 3) guide students through realistic ethical situations they may encounter such as considerations needed when doing research with children and ethical dilemmas encountered when informed consent would compromise the research objectives  
• A completely revised survey methods chapter (Ch. 7) illustrates questionnaire design using case studies from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey  
• Expanded sections on crime mapping and the use of Big Data (Ch. 9) show students how Big Data is being used to prevent both recidivism and crime by criminal justice agencies  
• Increased attention to the internet as an avenue for research exposes students to electronic surveys, the growing reliance on smartphones, the impact of social media, and the use of the internet in qualitative techniques  
• Updated examples of criminological research as they occur in real-world settings illustrate for students the exigencies and complexities that shape the application of research methods such as the effects of incarceration on employment, the effects of police wearing body cameras on both police and citizen injury, the perceptions of citizens regarding police misconduct, and an investigation into the lives of at risk youth in Oakland, CA thru the work of Victor Rios  
• An increased focus on international research introduces students to research conducted in countries around the globe, with soccer hooliganism in the UK as an example  
• New “Research in the News” boxes highlight recent studies that have made news headlines to illustrate the impact research has on researchers and practitioners in criminal justice as well as on society as a whole
• New SPSS exercises that correspond to relevant chapter material give students hand-on experience utilizing real data including subsets of data from the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2014 General Social Survey, 2013 Monitoring the Future Data, NCVS lone offender assault data for 1992 through  2013, and a 2012 State level data set with social and crime indicators  

KEY FEATURES:  

• Extensive use of graphics throughout adds simplicity and increases understandability of complex concepts  
• Includes more coverage of qualitative research and mixed methods than other comparable introductory texts  
• Consistent ethics coverage and real criminal and criminology examples throughout the text promote research success and integrity  
• Contains extensive, updated exercises sets including SPSS exercises and Web research activities  
• Definitions of key terms and formulas boxed off at the end of each chapter make mastering concepts and procedures easier for students to reference and understand
• Students can boost their understanding with a variety of interactive exercises on the robust Student Study Site including appendixes, practice exercises, and NCVS & UCR data sets.