Researching Criminology

by Crow

• ISBN13: 9780335221400
• ISBN10: 0335221408
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-11-01
• Publisher: Open University Press

Summary

Designed especially for students on criminology and criminal justice courses, and professionals working in the field, Researching Criminology emphasises the importance of research as an integrated process. It looks at the ways in which a mixture of investigative methods can be used to analyze a criminological question.

Author Biography

Iain Crow is Reader in Research Methods at the University of Sheffield. He has previously worked at the Addiction Research Unit at the Institute of Psychiatry and was Head of Research at NACRO, the national organisation for offender rehabilitation and crime prevention, until 1989. His teaching covers research methods and statistics, research ethics, and the treatment and rehabilitation of offenders. He has done research on drug use, race and criminal justice, offenders and unemployment, the Youth Court, community safety. He has also been involved with community based programmes for offenders, and done research on such programmes. His other books include The Treatment and Rehabilitation of Offenders, Criminal Justice 2000: Strategies for a New Century, and Unemployment, Crime and Offenders.

Natasha Semmens has been a lecturer in Criminology at the University of Sheffield since 2001. Her teaching covers research methods, white collar crime and foundations in law and legal systems. Her research interests include the fear of crime, crime survey methodology, white collar crime and cybercrime. She has also been involved in projects with the Home Office, NACRO and the UK Information Commissioner.

Table of Contents

About the authors

Acknowledgements

Introduction

The principles of criminological research

The research process

What is research?

Researching criminology

Types of inquiry and types of data

Research as a process

Further reading

The principles of researching criminology

The research question: identifying the research question and exploring possible theoretical explanations

Choosing a research strategy

Method selection and data collection

Data analysis and inference

Conclusion

Further reading

Designing criminological research

What is research design and why is it important?

The main types of empirical inquiry

Some common kinds of research design

Choosing a research design: an example

Sampling

Researching criminology ethically

Conclusion

Further reading

Criminological evaluation

Defining terms

The evaluation paradigm

Evaluation and theory

Doing criminological evaluation

Further reading

Collecting and analysing material

Researching by reading

Introduction

Reading and reviewing the literature critically

Analysing other people's data

Analysing documents

Conclusion

Further reading

Appendix

Researching by looking

Introduction: watch and learn

The science of observation? Epistemology and research design

Methodological decisions

Data collection

Data analysis

The disadvantages of observation

Conclusion

Further Reading

Researching by asking and listening

Introduction

Interviewing

Group interviews and focus groups

Questionnaires

Further reading

Analysing criminological research

About analysis

Analysing quantitative material: an introduction

Analysing qualitative material: an introduction

Further reading

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Real-world research

Researching offenders and employment

Background to the project

Theoretical context

The research

Results

Conclusion

Researching the Youth Court

Background to the project

Theoretical context

The research

Analysis

Results

Conclusion

Appendix

Researching a Community Safety Programme

Background to the project

Theoretical context

The research

Results

Conclusion

Researching the fear of crime

Background to the project

Theoretical context

The research

Results

Conclusion

Concluding comments

Taking it further

Glossary

Notes

References

Index

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