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Qualitative Approaches to Criminal Justice
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Qualitative Approaches to Criminal Justice
Perspectives from the Field

Edited by:


October 2002 | 424 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

The growth in popularity of qualitative research in the social sciences over the last two decades has been nothing short of amazing. Qualitative Approaches to Criminal Justice: Perspectives from the Field reveals some of the reasons for the success and stature of this unique methodological approach.

 

Exploring the real life experiences of criminal justice professionals, this anthology is the first book to focus solely on the use of qualitative research in various components of the criminal justice system. The collection is organized from two criminal justice perspectives: one qualitatively oriented and the other system oriented, including overviews of each qualitative method and commentaries that analyze the research techniques. Case studies illustrating actual fieldwork practices bring theory vividly to life.

Qualitative Approaches to Criminal Justice: Perspectives from the Field is multi-faceted in both its content and application. Through its investigative techniques, which rely mainly on observations, participant observation, and open-ended interviews, qualitative research reveals parts of the social world that remain hidden to more traditional methodological techniques.

 

Recommended as a companion to an administration of criminal justice course as well as courses in qualitative research in criminal justice. Also recommended as a supplemental text for any research methods course in a criminal justice degree program including sociology, political science, and legal studies.


 
Foreword
 
Preface
 
PART I: INTRODUCTION TO QUALITATIVE METHODS
W. Shaffir & R. Stebbins
1. In the Field
D. Jorgensen
2. Participant Observation - Methodology
R. Emerson & M. Pollner
3. Participant Observation - Fieldwork Relations
J. Spradley
4. Interviews
J. Van Maanen
5. Entering the Field
 
PART II: THE POLICE
J. Van Maanen
6. Socialization
M. Pogrebin & E. Poole
7. Informal Communication
W. Waegel
8. Stereotyping Cases
B. Stenross & S. Kleinman
9. Emotions
M. Pogrebin & E. Poole
10. Undercover Work
R. Weisheit, L.E. Wells, & D. Falcone
11. Community Relationships
J. Hunt & P. Manning
12. Police Deviancy
 
PART III: JUDICIAL
L. Frohmaan
13. Prosecutorial Decision Making
R. Flemming
14. Defense Attorneys and Clients
D. Emmelman
15. Social Class Effects on Criminal Clients
M. Heumann
16. Plea Bargaining - Prosecutorial
D. Emmelman
17. Plea Bargaining - Defense Attorney
M. McConville & C. Mirsky
18. Plea Bargaining - Judges' Role
J. Rosencrance
19. Stereotyping the Offender
 
PART IV: CORRECTIONS
S. Stojkovic
20. Guard Research
D. Schmit & R. Jones
21. Adjustment to Prison
G. Hunt, S. Morales, & D. Waldorf
22. Changing Climate of Prisons
M. Pogrebin & M. Dodge
23. Women View Prison
M. Pogrebin & E. Poole
24. Sexualized Work Environment
M. Radelet & L. Roberts
25. Parole Board
M. West-Smith, M. Pogrebin, & E. Poole
26. Inmates' View of Parole Board
 
PART V: FIELDWORK EXPERIENCES IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE: ETHICAL DILEMMAS
J. Van Maanen
27. The Moral Fix: On the Ethics of Fieldwork
J. Neff Gurney
28. Female Researchers in Male-Dominated Settings
J. Marquart
29. Doing Research in Prisons
 
About the Editor
 
About the Contributors

Excellent book, and while not adopted as the primary text, it was added to the "recommended" list for the course.

Mr Craig Spingarn
Criminal Justice, Kaplan College Denver
May 2, 2012
Key features
  • Qualitative research is an area enjoying a rebirth of sorts in criminal justice and criminological research. This is the first book to focus on the use of qualitative research in each component of the criminal justice system.
  • The articles selected for this anthology explore the real life experiences of professionals in the criminal justice system.
  • The books focus is upon those fieldwork practices that describe and analyze the points in the criminal justice system that directly impact the participants who are part of the occupational cultures that define our formal system of social control.
  • Each chapter has a thorough overview of the use of qualitative research in the component of the criminal justice system for which the articles that follow pertain (i.e. in the judicial system or the correctional system), as well as to summarize the articles in the chapter. This gives the student a solid introduction before getting to the individual articles.
  • The book is organized from two criminal justice perspectives: one being qualitatively oriented and the other system oriented.