CJ490 Unit 9 Seminar: 1 Agency Records, Content Analysis, and Secondary Data

Introduction Data from agency records – agencies collect a vast amount of crime and CJ data Secondary analysis – analyzing data previously collected Content analysis – researchers examine a class of social artifacts (typically written documents) 2

Topics Appropriate for Agency Records Most commonly used in descriptive or exploratory Content analysis often center on links between communication, perceptions of crime problems, individual behavior, CJ policy 3

Types of Agency Records Published Statistics – gov’t organizations routinely collect and publish compilations of data (e.g., NCVS, Census Bureau, BJS; often available in libraries and online Nonpublic Agency Records – agencies produce data not routinely released (e.g., police departments, courthouses, correctional facilities) New Data Collected by Agency Staff – collected for specific research purposes; less costly + more control 4

Units of Analysis and Sampling If you use agency records, be attentive to match or mismatch between UoA appropriate for research question and UoA represented in aggregate form You can go from individual to aggregate, but not aggregate to individual Sampling – taking subsets of agency records is relatively simple and quite useful 5

Units of Analysis in Criminal Justice Data Criminal Activity Incidents Crimes violated Victims Offenders Court Activity Defendants Filings Charges and Counts Cases Appearances Dispositions Sentences 6 Apprehension Arrests Offenders Charges Counts Corrections Offenders Admissions Returns Discharges

Sources of Reliability and Validity Problems Virtually all CJ record keeping is a social process – “social production of data” Records reflect decisions made by CJ personnel as well as actual behavior by juveniles and adults Discretion factors in to recordkeeping CJ organizations are more interested in keeping track of individual cases than in examining patterns Potential for clerical errors due to volume of data 7

Content Analysis Systematic study of messages – can be applied to virtually any form of communication Decide on operational definitions of key variables Decide what to watch, read, listen to & time frame Analyze collected data Well-suited to answer “Who says what, to whom, why, how, and with what effect?” 8

Aspects of Sampling and Coding in Content Analysis 1 First establish your universe, then your units of analysis and sampling frame, then sample Communications need to be coded according to some conceptual framework Choice between depth & specificity of understanding: Manifest content – visible, surface content – similar to using closed-ended survey questions Latent content – underlying meaning 9

Aspects of Sampling and Coding in Content Analysis 2 Reminders: Remember operational definition of variables, and their mutually exclusive & exhaustive attributes Pretest coding scheme Assess coding reliability via intercoder reliability method and test-retest method 10

Illustrations of Content Analysis: Violence in Video Games Thompson & Haninger (2001) sampled 55 of over 600 E-rated games Experienced undergrad gamer played for 90 minutes or until game reached natural conclusion Experienced gamer/researcher and undergrad gamer reviewed videotape of videogaming session Coded: # of violent incidents, # of deaths, drugs/alcohol/tobacco, profanity and sexual behavior, weapon use, explicit music Measured duration of violent acts and # of deaths to length of game playing for standardized measures 11

Illustrations of Content Analysis: Gang-Related Homicides Analyzed police case files over a 10-year period in St. Louis First classified case as gang-related or not Then distinguished between gang-motivated and gang- affiliated homicides (after conceptualizing both) Interrater reliability was extremely important! 12

Secondary Analysis Sources – websites (BJS, NCVS, ICPSR, NACJD), libraries Advantages – cheaper, faster, benefit from work of skilled researchers Disadvantages – data may not be appropriate to your research question; least useful for evaluation studies (which are designed to answer specific questions about specific programs) 13

Final Project  You will now complete your research proposal. All of the following sections must be completed:  Cover page :  Follow APA formatting for the cover page, found on p. 515 of Rules for Writers  Abstract:  A brief summary of your topic and hypothesis as well as the major components of the research proposal (sample, research design, and data collection techniques)

Final Project  Introduction:  Problem statement with a brief history of the problem, your hypothesis, and identification of the independent and dependent variables  Background and Literature Review :  Summarize five relevant/related research projects, their usefulness, flaws, and strengths.  Research Design:  A description of your research design and a justification of why this particular design was chosen; discuss how your variables will be studied or controlled.

Final Project  Sampling:  Provide a description of your sampling plan; identify the population, sample, and sampling technique chosen.  Data Collection Techniques:  Describe your one or more data collection techniques (e.g. Survey, focus groups, interviews, field research, existing data, etc.)

Final Project  Research Considerations :  Discuss the overall validity and reliability concerns of your research methodology based the core components chosen, strengths and weaknesses of your design, a summary of ethical issues related to implementing your study, and how you would resolve ethical problems.  Reference  You must include correctly formatted APA citations in the body of your paper and a matching reference list in appropriate APA form.  Your paper should be pages in length with a minimum of 5 references in addition to the text. Submit your Final Project to the Dropbox by the end of Unit 9.