Research Methodology Sample

A Research on Juvenile Detention Reforms

The main aim of the current study remains to investigate juvenile detention reforms. As such, the study investigates the impact of juvenile detention reforms on the rate of juvenile incarceration and their relationship to adolescent recidivism. To this end, the study is aimed at answering two research questions including 1). How has the implementation of juvenile detention reforms affected the rate of juvenile incarceration? And 2). What is the relationship between juvenile detention reforms and juvenile recidivism? The main variables to be considered in the study include the rate of juvenile incarceration, the rate of juvenile recidivism as the dependent variables and the implementation of juvenile detention reforms as the independent variable. Regarding the rate of incarceration of young offenders, the gender and ethnicities of young offenders will be considered. The variables will be assessed and appraised from the studies reviewed.

Research Design

The current study aims to use a pre-experimental research design. A pre-experimental research design involves an approach to doing research that is used in situations where a single group is being studied without a control group for the purposes of comparison (Farooq, Nóvoa, Araújo, & Tavares, 2016). Therefore, in the current research, the group being studied encompasses the systems of criminal justice where juvenile detention reforms have been enacted. In addition, the study design used by the researcher is categorized as a one-shot case study. The study design falls under the one-shot case study due to the fact that the group being considered will not be compared to any control group. Only the data from juvenile justice systems with juvenile detention reforms are considered. As such, the subjects will include the criminal justice systems enacting juvenile detention reforms. The objective remains to establish the impact of juvenile detention reforms on the imprisonment of juvenile delinquents and its relationship to juvenile recidivism.

Methodological Approach

According to Fidalgo-Blanco, Sein-Echaluce, & García-Peñalvo (2015), a methodological approach constitutes an action plan giving direction inefficiently and systematically carrying out research. As such, three main approaches to research exists qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach. According to Fidalgo-Blanco et al. (2015), a study should involve an unequivocal, disciplined, and logical approach to establish the most relevant outcomes. The current study falls in the qualitative approach category. Typically, scholars employ the quantitative approach in responding to research questions demanding numerical data whereas the qualitative method requires textural information while mixed methods employ both textural and numerical information. The quantitative research approach has been considered to be more arduous in the past, however, in recent times, the qualitative approach has acquired more reliability in contemporary classic research.

The current study constitutes a qualitative evaluation of juvenile detention reforms implemented in the criminal justice systems in different states in the United States. To initiate the study, the researcher assessed five peer-reviewed articles relating to the topic of investigation. As a result, it was possible to evaluate and determine the kind of research already in place regarding juvenile detention reforms. In a bid to respond to the research questions of the study and test the postulated hypotheses, the researcher sought criminology reports from the regions where juvenile detention reforms have been employed. Search optimization was employed in obtaining the reports available on the internet. Terms such as “juvenile”, “delinquency”, and “detention reforms” were used in searching for the reports. Such reports were supported by peer-reviewed articles examining various juvenile detention reforms and their influence on the rate of adolescent incarceration and recidivism.

Validity and Reliability

In seeking to address the external and internal threats to validity, the researcher observed a number of precautions in conducting the research. The first and most basic was ensuring that the articles used and the sources of information were peer-reviewed and up to date per se. To this end, the researcher only considered reports published and verified by their corresponding states. The articles considered in guiding the study were scholarly and credible. Secondly, the researcher only considered the reports with information relevant in answering the research questions of the current study. The content considered was skewed towards the subject of juvenile detention reforms, recidivism, and incarceration.

Ethical Considerations

The use of secondary data itself as employed by the current study constitutes a highly ethical approach. According to Tripathy (2013), this is because it exploits to the maximum the value of a publicly financed collection of data and ensures the replicability of the research outcomes. However, the value of secondary information can only be completely realized if such benefits outdo the risks, particularly in relation to the re-identification of researchers and the disclosure of information that is sensitive Coltart, Henwood, & Shirani (2013). To consider such ethical concerns, the researcher ensured that the research satisfies a number of conditions including: the information was de-identified before use in the study and adequately referenced, the consent of the subjects of studies considered was reasonably presumed, the outcomes of the study was tailored to not be able to re-identify the participants, and it was ensured that the use of the data did not result in any distress or damage.

The population characteristics to be considered will include juvenile justice experts (including judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, and probation officers) from the states where juvenile detention reforms have been implemented. Furthermore, studies involving agency officials, state legislators, and scholars knowledgeable in juvenile law will be included in the current study.

Data Collection Process

Data for this study will come from a number of sources. Agency reports, legislative reports, and published studies will be considered for information relevant in answering the research questions. A chronological search will be carried out on different databases and on state websites for criminology reports. Reports based on a logical and wide-ranging review of the literature on criminology relating to what was effective on the reduction of recidivism will be considered. What is more, criminology literature examining the influence of juvenile detention reforms the avoidance of the inception of unlawful and delinquent behavior in juveniles will be included in the study. The information will be acquired through an assessment of evaluation reports as well as other reports based on the correctional interventions and initial risk-based programs for prevention employed in the systems of criminal justice. By using the pre-experimental method, the impact of juvenile detention reforms, the uniformity, and eminence of the criminology reports will be examined. The researcher will ensure that conclusions of the reports will be based on contemporary and most comprehensive scholarly evidence available. Granting that a one-shot case study fails when it comes to the comparison (Farooq, Nóvoa, Araújo, & Tavares, 2016), the researcher will address the consistency and influence of the approach under consideration through an emphasis on literature that synthesized the assessment results from several programs.