Action Research Helps the Group Address Problems and Issues

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Recommended: Action research and its merits and demerits

Action research is a type of research that is initiated to solve a pressing issue or a contemplative process of problem solving led by people working together as part of a community of practice. This method is used to improve the way the group addresses issues and solves problems. In Law Enforcement action research is of great importance because the research and the practices that materialize after the research are critical to discovering and implementing better policing practices. Action Research stands at the heart of community policing and in my paper I will discuss a current issue, prisoner re-entry, which has been alleviated because of action research.
Law Enforcement Action Research
As I stated before, action research is a research method that is initiated in an attempt to solve an imminent problem or is part of an introspective practice in problem solving. This practice is led by individuals who work together to improve how they deal with social issues or in the realm of Law Enforcement, how people cope with quality of life issues. One issue that is currently on the forefront of many California law enforcement agencies is the prisoner re-entry stemming from the passing of assembly bill 109 (AB 109). Prisoner re-entry and the importance of addressing prisoner re-entry at a community level cannot be overemphasized. With a growing number of prisoners released each year prisoner re-entry presents several community challenges, some of which include increased risk to public safety, the limited availability of jobs, housing, and Social services for these re-entering prisoners (La Vigne & Cowan, 2005). Taking into consideration the context of prisoner re-entry, it is imperative for communities to have an extremely unambiguous un...

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... These include approaches on issues like youth homicide, youth firearms violence, and quality of life issues. After seeing the effectiveness in these areas, the remaining question is, how can law enforcement tailor their response to more uncontrolled issues in crime. SARA and the action research method appear to be most effective when police forces are fully committed to the concept and its approaches. The key to having these programs work well is the ability of the organization to understand the benefits and be committed to it. Upper level management in police agencies must create conditions that will allow problem solving to flourish, including encouraging creativity, working in partnership, ensuring effective assessment takes place, providing sufficient proper training, giving officers time and support to problem solve properly, and providing suitable resources.

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