Running Head Methods Section 1, 6, And 7
Running Head Methods Section 1methods Section 6methods Sectionste
Research Problem The problem under study is the increasing cases of recidivism in the country despite efforts to rehabilitate convicts in the prison system. Despite the efforts of the criminal justice system to help criminals change their behavior before being allowed to rejoin the society, they end up engaging in crime (Dadashazar, 2017). The study seeks to identify the cause of the problem with the aim of giving recommendations on what should be done to change the trend. By understanding the cause of the problem and why efforts to rehabilitate inmates are not bearing fruits.
The findings would be crucial towards the fight of criminal behavior in the society.
Research Question and Hypothesis
Research Questions
- Is the criminal justice system doing less in rehabilitating criminals such that they end up committing crimes once they are released back to the society?
- What are the factors that contribute to the problem of recidivism?
- What are some of the roles in which the society can play to reduce the rising cases of recidivism?
Null Hypothesis
- There is no relationship between the rise of recidivism with the role of the criminal justice system in rehabilitating inmates.
Alternative Hypothesis
- The society has no role to play in helping address the problem of recidivism.
Independent and Dependent Variables
Independent Variable
- Factors that contribute to recidivism
- Role of the criminal justice system
- Role of society
The factors that contribute to recidivism include social issues such as employment, economic status, and psychological issues. The roles of society and criminal justice system refer to the efforts or the mandate in which they two has to do to help reduce criminal activity.
Dependent Variable
- Rise in recidivism
The rise in recidivism refers to the increase in cases where former criminals engage in crimes after being released from prison.
Sample Population
The sample population for this study will include a group of juvenile offenders and adults who are either in corrective facilities and those who have been released back to the society. The sample will be selected from individuals who are likely to commit a crime. Besides, the sample size will focus on inmates who have been sent to prison for the second time after previously being allowed to rejoin the community after successful rehabilitation process. Women will be excluded from the study since their numbers lack statistical significance.
Participants
The sample size will have 46 participants. 23 of the participants will represent juvenile offenders while the rest will constitute adults. The participants will be selected randomly in prison systems and the society. There will be no clear guideline to be followed in the selection of the participants.
Recruitment of the Sample
The sample will be recruited on a voluntary basis. The initial step will be to visit various correctional facilities as well as find records of past offenders who have been released back to society. The next step would be to select the participants randomly (Taylor, Bogdan & DeVault, 2015). It would be appropriate to first seek consent from all the relevant authorities together with those of the participants. For juvenile offenders, the consent will be sought from their parents together with the officers in charge of juvenile correctional facilities.
Type of Measurement Instrument
A questionnaire will be used in data collection from the selected participants. The questionnaire will be designed to allow the participants to fill some sections on their own. The other section would involve interviews with the participants (Taylor, Bogdan & DeVault, 2015). Records from the criminal justice system will also be used as a source of data which would then be analyzed. The data collection method provides descriptive data which can be measured using different types of inferential statistics.
Issues to Cover in Informed Consent
The informed consent will cover a number of issues including privacy of information and usage of data. The consent will give clear details that the privacy of the participant will be withheld. It would further assure the participants that the findings from the study will be used for policy change. All the participants or the guardians will be asked to sign the consent.
Safety
There are no signs that his study will be harmful in any manner. However, if the security of the participant is at risk, we will involve security institutions to offer security during the process. If the participants fear being victimized, we will avoid using the names of the participants.
Possible Threats to Validity
The main threat to the validity of data collected is misleading assumptions. The choice of data collection technique, as well as data analysis methods, threatens the validity and reliability of data (Taylor, Bogdan & DeVault, 2015). These threats can be addressed by verifying the assumptions to ensure that they are in line with the study. The choice of data collection and analysis technique will be selected after wide consultation with experts in the field.
Parametric or Nonparametric Inferential Statistical
Correlation inferential statistics will be used in the study. The choice is that the variables of the study are in a way related and finding their correlation can help make reasonable recommendations for the problem.
Acceptable Behavioral Research Alpha Level 0.05
An alpha level that is lower than 0.05 will mean that we reject the null hypothesis and agree that the result is significant.
References
Dadashazar, N. (2017). Offender Recidivism: A Quantitative Study of Motivational Risk Factors and Counseling.
Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R., & DeVault, M. (2015). Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.