Abstract
Criminal Justice research is essential to upgrade law enforcement efficiency in combatting criminal activity. Hence, it is important for the research to come up with specific purpose in relation to the problem. Research purposes outline the problem and plot the procedure for the researcher to achieve the desired outcome. The four principle research purposes each have potential influence outcomes of subsequent researches. It is imperative to choose the proper approach and to ensure that the outcome contains the solution on how to deal with each type of criminal activity. It is remarkable that despite their dynamics, the research purposes form a relationship among themselves when pursuing their goals. The City Police Chief has all the information on how to proceed with this criminal justice research. The research outcome of the police task force in this case will find success through the Explanatory research purpose. The ability to point out certain criminal activities which influence other crime in the vicinity makes this purpose the ideal approach for the task. The highest criminal activity hubs are set for identification during the course of this research.
Introduction
Law enforcement agencies require updates in regular intervals pertaining to the criminal activity in its jurisdiction. This information is not only available in historic data, it is available within the society. The easiest approach to obtain this information is through research. There are different research strategies within law enforcement which form the basis for future action or refinement of operational procedure. The research enables the top management of law enforcement on the types of threats and strategies to deal with them successfully. Research determines the course of action and the evaluation of existing practices. The key to a successful research is the purpose which determines the outcome. In law enforcement, identifying the correct purpose for the research is critical to obtain the required information (Maxfield and Babbie, 2014).
Types of research purposes
There are four common research purposes. They are exploration, description, explanation, and evaluation (action). Exploration research purpose involves discovering information pertaining to a new form of criminal activity. For example, the purchase of drugs under the guise of shopping from a popular online store. The exploration research purpose in this scenario will be to ascertain which of the products on the store have secret codes or markings indicating different drugs. The process for payment since massive online payments is easy to track and raise suspicion quickly. The possible ways to track the suppliers, orders, delivery methods, customers, and the connection from store to suppliers. The purpose of this form of research will determine the operators, customers, and even identify which localities are hot spots for the dealers (Vito, Kunselman, and Tewksbury, 2014).
Description research purpose involves responding to three questions. The questions are ‘What is the magnitude of the problem?’, ‘Who is affected?’, and ‘What is the cause for the problem?’ This research purpose explores the problem and attempts to come up with root cause of the problem. For example, the increasing number of violent criminal behavior among juveniles. The problem is enormous since it defies the process of developing a criminal psychosis in an individual. Juveniles usually start with non-violent criminal behavior. There are exceptions however, most of the first-time offenders have nonviolent charges against them. Hence, starting the brush with the law with a violent crime is a serious problem. The affected parties will involve anyone in the society. However, anyone within the immediate social radius will face the problem upfront. These parties can be classmates, neighbors, parents, and even siblings. The causes range from addiction to controlled substance, peer pressure, playing violent video games, and pornography. The easy access to violence influencers today is the primary problem. Cases of cyberbullying are on the rise along with a significant death toll among young children (Vito, Kunselman, and Tewksbury, 2014).
Explanation research purposes point to a particular problem and provide solutions to prevent or contain the problem. This research purpose deals with a problem which brings along several other problems. For example, drug dealers while conducting their business create a conducive atmosphere for other criminal activity to prosper. Robbery, prostitution, extortion, homicide, violent crimes against children and senior citizens, and organized crime. The solutions to discourage this type of criminal activity hub involve increase in police patrols in both uniformed and plain clothes officers, regular arrests of known dealers, removing prostitutes by increasing arrests and fines, increased scrutiny on visitors to the area, and removing all possible obstacles in the neighborhood that hinder observation by the police (Vito, Kunselman, and Tewksbury, 2014).
Evaluation or Action research purpose is in use to evaluate police actions in response to a particular form of criminal activity. For example, a police initiative against recidivism among first-time offenders. The initiative involves regular informal visits by the police to the neighborhood of the offender to gather information on the activities of the person. Follow-up meetings with the offender along with the parole officer to discuss any suspicious activity or association with individuals with active criminal backgrounds. The research purpose is to evaluate whether the recidivism rates are dropping following the initiative. What is a reasonable sample size and where should the sample come from? What is the average duration of time to ascertain whether or not an individual is likely to become a repeat offender? Checking for patterns that lead away from criminal association among the sample is one of the ways to conclude the research and procure the information to establish the success percentile of the program. The subsequent research will provide data on how to proceed with the program or ascertain if the program is ineffective. Police budgets run thin and it is important to weed out any programs that are not meeting their goals (Vito, Kunselman, and Tewksbury, 2014).
Relationship between the four principal research purposes
The four research purposes correlate with each other although they seem to pursue different outcomes for the subsequent researches. The exploration research uncovers solutions for new criminal activity prevalent in the society. The description research purposes analyze why the criminal behavior manifests among a particular group of individuals. An explanation purpose provides information on additional criminal activities that can tag along with the primary criminal activity. Finally, the evaluation or action purpose uncovers information on whether existing programs can deal with the problem effectively or if different approaches are necessary (Vito, Kunselman, and Tewksbury, 2014).
Appropriate purpose for identifying the highest crime areas in the city is the Explanatory research purpose. This research purpose intends to uncover critical information on a criminal activity with the potential to create an illegal empire around it. The crimes exposed by this research purpose ultimately point to areas where the concentration is the highest. These areas within a city will also have other criminal activities tagging along and making them the most dangerous places. Hence, it is relevant to deduce that the Explanatory research purpose is the key to unlocking high criminal areas within a city.
References
Vito, G. F., Kunselman, J. C., and Tewksbury, R (2014). Introduction to Criminal Justice Research Methods: An Applied Approach. Charles C Thomas Publisher. Springfield: IL. Pp. 4-7.
Maxfield, M. G., and Babbie, E. R. (2014). Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology. Cengage Learning. Independence: KY. Pp. 4-13.
