Topic: What if you were asked to pick a
research topic that dealt with all of the following: communication, perceptions
of crime problems, individual behavior, and criminal justice policy? Can you
think of a clear research idea that would implicate all four?

CJUS 740

Discussion Grading Rubric

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Advanced

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Proficient

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Developing

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Starting my career as a youth service provider I always go back to American juvenile justice systems as a field study or topic of research. So many countering perspectives and positions exist amongst the proper treatment and prevention of wayward or troubled youth. I again find myself reaching toward this as a research topic, as the logical starting point of devious behavior, progression in criminal activity, and subsequently an entire life of crime. Many within the criminal justice field argue this transition into adulthood is the most difficult time in a person’s life, leading to stress, potentially impulsive behavior, aggression, and anger (Abrah, 2018).

           Communication can be measured within this field of study in different ways, my selection would be to gauge the perceived effectiveness of candid mutual communication between parent and child. This study would use focus groups and interviews to place ratings on the level of communication between a child who became delinquent and their parent (Maxfield and Babbie, 2018). Observation techniques between the two interacting can also be utilized, allowing for a third party to rate the communication level (Maxfield and Babbie, 2018).

            The study should cover the perception of how impactful this crime problem is, most citizens are not informed or aware of major juvenile incidents or arrests, gardening limited attention in the media (Anderson et al., 2019). Many people in America believe that juveniles should be treated less overtly, hopefully mitigating the negative effects news or social media coverage can have on them (Anderson et al., 2019). Whether proven to be true or not, the study’s research into the public perception is crucial for providing funding and support of the topic.

            Research into individual behaviors like what causes one child to become delinquent compared to another should be the primary component of the study. If any determining factors leading to delinquency can be identified, then they can theoretically be eliminated or at least their impact can be diminished. For example, if excessively strict parents are identified as a contributing factor toward individual behavior differences between the youth, then an emphasis can be placed on this during the child-rearing process (Curenton et al., 2016). Curenton et al., (2016) discuss the differences between working mothers and stay-at-home mothers eventually finding it has little impact on juvenile delinquency, while excessive strictness does.

            Influencing actual policy changes whether legislative or executive action, typically constitutes the main objective of any study and if successful motivational to others in the field. Juvenile justice is such a wide-ranging and complex field of study, measurable limitations must be placed if persuasive results are to be acquired (Maxfield and Babbie, 2018). For example, significant research, as of recent, has been placed on the age a person fully develops cognitively (Cauffman et al., 2017). This research has driven many states, like New York and California, to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 17 or 18, which was previously closer to 16 (Cauffman et al, 2017). This is a genuine example of research affecting policy, data from cognitive studies showed that 16-year-old people were more likely to act with aggression and have more prolific acts of impulsiveness, both factors when committing crimes (Cauffman et al., 2017). Juvenile justice policies are directly affected by cognitive research and studies, showing the power of research articles to students seeking a Ph.D.

            Christianity has always valued the growth of children into adults citing many times in the Bible how children should be raised “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (English Standard Version, 2001/2016 Ephesians, 6:4). Established research into this field really begin with the Bible, as one of the early forms of human behavior modification documenting God’s best commandments and disciples’ passages. The Bible addresses research as a form of knowledge arguing for people to acquire as much research-based knowledge as possible preventing falsehoods in life “The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly” (English Standard Version, 2001/2016 Proverbs, 15:14). It is clear that Christianity through the Bible’s passages support people’s efforts to gain knowledge, which is a cardinal objective of any research study focus like juvenile justice systems.

References

Abrah, P. (2018). Labeling Theory and Life Stories of Juvenile Delinquents Transitioning into

Adulthood. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. 63(2). 

https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0306624X18787303

Anderson, V., Ouyang, F., Tu, W., Rosenman, M., Wiehe, S., & Aaslma, M. (2019). Medicare

Coverage and Continuity for Juvenile Justice – Involved Youth. Journal of Correctional Health Care. 25(1). 

https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1078345818820043

Cauffman, E., Donley, S., & Thomas, A. (2017). Raising the Age of Majority. Criminology and

Public Policy. 73. 

https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12257

Curenton, S., Crowley, J., & Mouzon, D. (2016). Qualatiive Descriptions of Middle-Class Families’ Child Rearing Practices and Values. Journal of Family Issues. 39(4).

https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0192513X16683984

English Standard Version. (2016). Biblehub. Retrieved from 

https://biblehub.com

 (Original work published 2001)

     When conducting research, the researcher must understand that there are often different avenues of approach before beginning. One of the many avenues the researcher must explore is what their study should consist of. Whereas there are many schools of thought, I argue two major themes: Studies should be simply designed or, if the study is complex, needs to be well detailed and applicable to real-world application. Nation (2017) explains that some of the best research is crafted through simple design. He argues that research that is designed simply can have clearer outcomes on policy recommendations or real-world applications. For example, I contend that Nation (2017) would perhaps study two of the four (communication, perceptions of crime problems, individual behavior, and criminal justice policy) in order to determine if any relationships between the two variables exist. Williams (2017) makes the same assertion, claiming that research ought to be simple so readers can understand. He explains that research, when published, is a form of communication to the outside world. Complicating research with too many components or confusing wording can make the end result less appealing and understandable to read.

     On the other hand, complex research containing several elements can better help to fill gaps in the literature. Guetterman (2017) contends that research with multiple variables can be studied methodically using a mixed-methods approach (both quantitative and qualitative). I would approach the discussion topic in the same manner. First, I would choose what I want my independent variable to be based on gaps in the literature. For this prompt, perhaps I found a gap in the literature among policing policy-makers and wanted to study them. Impacts on criminal justice policy would be my independent variable, with my dependent variables being communication, perceptions of crime problems, and individual behavior. In other words, how do the dependent variables of policy-makers impact criminal justice policies? This research topic seems to encapsulate quite a bit, but if approached methodically using rigorous measures, statistics, and interviews, a mixed-methods approach would be well suited for results that could provide knowledge to the field.

     The Holy Bible makes mention of how important it is to have a good research design to produce meaningful results. Whether the topic is simple, or complex, God provides us the tools to be successful and wants us to pass the knowledge onto others. This concept is found in the book of 2 Timothy, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (King James Bible, 1769/2021, 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

References

Guetterman, T. C. (2017). Designing a rigorous mixed methods research study. Qualitative Research, 18(1), 1–16. 

https://doi.org/10.22284/qr.2017.18.1.1

King James Bible. (2021). King James Bible Online. 

https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ (Original Work Published 1769)

Nation, P. (2017). Keeping it practical and keeping it simple. Language Teaching, 51(1), 138–146. 

https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444817000349

Williams, M. S. (2017). Keeping things simple, 26. 

https://repository.asu.edu/items/45804