Measuring Crime Rates

Term Paper # 99257

Criminology
Research Designs

This paper attempts to identify appropriate methodologies for exploring crime rates.

1,081 words () | 2 sources | MLA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the theory that the increase in crime rates have led to a need to respond to reported instances of crime, thus requiring increased action on the part of local police, fire and civil service departments. The paper explains that this correlation has been used to justify requisitioning a larger budget for law enforcement. The paper provides a hypothetical research methodology to identify any actual correspondence between these two variables.

Outline:
Introduction
Proposed Methodology
Study Design and Execution
Expected Outcome and Limitations on Methodology

From the Paper:

"The research design used to test this potential correlation is quantifiable and seeks to isolate units of measurement between two specific trends (Creswell 17). The first of these trends is an increase in crime statistics. The second is an increase in overtime pay for law enforcement officials. The scope of the research spans from the time when crime rates began to rise, which has been set at seventeen years ago to create an appropriate margin of error. Historical data for crime rates prior to this time period are also known and can be used to create a historical profile of the norms for both crime rates and overtime pay."

Sample of Sources Used:

Creswell, J. W. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. SAGE Publications, San Diego. 2002.
Tashakkori, A. & Teddlie, C. (1998). Mixed Methodology: Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. SAGE Publications, San Diego. 1998.