Criminal Justice Research Methods
Paper 2
1) One advantage to the surveys examined is that the questions used were “unbounded” or were open-ended questions about defense gun use. A second advantage to the surveys examined is that all respondents in the survey were asked about their experiences involving defensive gun use instead of just respondents who reported that they were the victim of an attempted crime involving defensive gun use.
2) The samples were arranged by state; the number of interviews designated to each state was determined by the state’s population according to the 1990 census. All households with a single phone line, whether listed or unlisted, were included in the survey. The only households excluded from the survey were the households that did not have a phone line. One adult from each household was interviewed, per the alternating requesting of an adult with a specific gender by the interviewer. Once a phone number was randomly selected, up to 10 attempts were made to connect with the particular household and complete the interview. Respondents who disclosed an answer of “yes” to either one of the gun use qualifying questions were asked up to 30 follow up questions. All responses were included with the exception of responses from respondents who were police officers, security guards or military personnel or responses from respondents who had disclosed an event that had occurred five years or more before the survey had begun and/or had taken place outside of the United States.
3) One advantage of random digit dialing is that it allows all telephone lines, even unlisted numbers, to be included in the sample with equal probability of being selected to participate in the survey. Contacting respon...
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...ose relationships with the informants, Marquart created a readily available resource to help him analyze daily phenomena as they occurred. The informants were an invaluable asset to Marquart’s research because it allowed Marquart to have eyes and ears, thus first-hand accounts, of daily prison events such as work, school, searches, and administration of punishment. The informants provided observations and descriptions for at least twenty situations where force was utilized. Additionally, the information the informants provided enabled Marquart to develop a systematic method of data collection and analysis, which later helped him create a systematic strategy to code four functions for the guards’ use of unofficial force. It was this strategy that was then applied to the cases of observed and informant-reported violence that had occurred over a period of time.
During the 1980’s, gun violence was an increasing problem calling on the opinions of many. With gun related crimes nearing their pinnacle and the numbers of incidences rising many “anti-guns” ideas and public media began circulating. During this time a group, formally known as The National Council to Control Handguns, entitled Handgun Control Inc. (HCI) was publishing public service announcements regarding gun control. Famously know for using the slogan “STOP HANDGUNS BEFORE THEY STOP YOU,” HCI enrooted awareness among viewers regarding their PSAs and the handgun violence they informed us upon.
In today’s world, guns used in the home for protection purposes are becoming more of a danger than an object of security. They have taken over the interest of everyone who thinks they are in danger. Even with the protection of a handgun, statistics show that crimes are still being committed. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics “an average of only about 65,000 defensive uses of guns each year compared to the more than 800,000 crimes committed with guns” (Mcdowell 1982-84). Guns are a danger in the household if marital disputes and domestic violence are present. If a gun is a readily available object then the chances of it being used to let out anger and frustration instead of self-protection is great. Mercy Saltzman reports that “having a gun in the home also increases the risk that incidents of domestic violence will result in homicide.” He goes on to point out “family and intimate assaults involving firearms are twelve times more likely to result in death than non-firearm related assaults” (Saltzman 3043-47). In lieu of these statements, one can see the present danger in keeping a firearm in a household.
In the three stories, “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” “A Worn Path,” all three women have a petulant nature of some kind and yet still are able to find grace. Only one of these women, Phoenix Jackson, from “A Worn Path,” possesses true grace before her death. Both Granny and the Grandmother are in their final moments when the reader believes that they have been given a chance at accepting grace, and even then it is not cut and dry in Granny's case.
United States. Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. Guns in America: National Survey on Private Ownership and Use of Firearms. By Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig. [Washington, DC]: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice, 1997. Print.
In the essay, “Move over Boys, Make Room in the Crease,” the author, Sarah Maratta, explains the bias against women’s involvement in sports. Maratta states the claim that women should be treated as equal in their aspirations to be involved in sports. Maratta grew up her entire life loving sports; in particular, she was quite fond of hockey. In this essay, we find out that not only does she have a passion for the icy and mostly Canadian sport, but that she has a desire to see women treated fairly in all aspects of the sporting world. While discussing the flaws and ill-treatments of women in the sports industry and society, she conveys a sense of urgency in making sports completely unbiased toward gender and about the true love of the games.
Gun control is an extremely hot-button topic right now in all over the world. The issue is not likely to go away any time soon. Many societies are questioning whether guns really are the helpful tool that many of us have been saying they are, or if they are the killing machines they have recently been publicised as. Over the past decade, recent shootings that have occurred across the country along with the push for law banning or regulating certain types of firearms have all caused many to review the gun control pros and cons that are believed to shape future debate. In this modern era, owning a gun among the people can cause many glitches. One of them is homicide which is broadly seen by the public as one of the most vital hiccups facing our society. According to Hoskin (2011), USA is an outlier in both high levels of gun possession and high rates of homicide compared to other industrialised countries. Homicides are much more likely to involve guns in the USA. In 2009, 67% of slaughters were committed with a gun compared to one-third in Canada. Although critics argue owning a gun can help to ensure our own safety, it is still harmful to society because most violent crimes are perpetrated with guns, the risk of death increases and suicides are higher with gun availability.
Guns are not the trouble, people are. The United States is #1 in world gun ownership, and yet is only 28th in the world in gun murders per 100,000 people. The number of unintentional fatalities due to firearms declined by 58 percent between 1991 and 2011 Based on these facts, one can see the guns not the causes of gun violence. moreover, civilians who get permits take gun safety courses and have criminal background...
Today in the United States many people argue over the fact of guns being legal or illegal. There are people using guns for personal safety and there are others who use them for crimes, as well as for other situations. Firearm deaths in the United States have slowly been decreasing from year to year with all these bills getting passed to promote a safer country than ever before. Guns are the main weapon for youth suicide, school shootings, and for committing murder. In 2010 there were 2,711 infants, child, and teenage firearm deaths. As in school shootings and in committing murder, studies show shooters often had multiple, non-automatic guns, shootings were planned, most youth tell before shooting, shooters have a history of being bullied or threatened, shooters have mental issues, and shooters have done suicidal gestures before (Gun Control with School Shootings). Although there are people who use guns for murdering, there are also those who oppose guns being used without the proper requirements. 85% of all respondents to the survey supporting requiring states to report people to national background-checks systems who are prohibited from owning gu...
Trotter, S.(2010). Review of the Attitude Towards Guns and Violence Questionnaire. The Mental Measurements Yearbook. Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements. Retrieved from the Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print database.
Gun laws control the types of firearms that may be purchased, designate the qualifications of those who may purchase and own a firearm, and restrict the safe storage and use of firearms. Advocates for gun control laws argue that with these laws in place the incidence of violent crimes are reduced because the prevalence of firearms is reduced or in other words fewer guns mean less crime. But this only holds some truth because the relationship between gun control and crime rates don’t effect each other immediately. A law that is put into place won’t see any effect crime rates until a few years down the road. A study taken in the 1997, found that the right-to-carry laws reduce violent crime rates. The reductions are greater in counties with proportionally higher urban populations and the laws afford relatively greater protection to minorities and women. The study also shows that criminals substitute non confrontation crimes such as burglary, auto theft, and larceny, for violent crimes such as robbery and assault (Moorhouse et al., 2006). Thirty five states now permit law abiding residents to carry a concealed weapon (Malcom and L., 2003). With concealed weapons laws in place, the probability of a criminal coming to a confrontation with an armed citizen has increased. As such, right-to-carry laws
There are more than 44 million Americans own guns, implying that 25% of the adults in the US own guns and that 40% of the American households owning a minimum of one firearm. These gun owners normally possess 192 million firearms whereby 65 million of these firearms are handguns of all the legal owners of the guns, the main reasons for their ownership of the gun include sporting, hunting as well as home protection (McLeigh, 201-202). Among all the individuals who own the guns, 75% of them allege that self-protection is their chief reason for owning the firearm (Seabrook, 2014). The majority of the young people in the United States are normally surrounded by regular reminders of the threat that gun violence poses to their community. The constant
Individuals who live in a household without firearms appear to have more positive assessments about the possible impact of firmer gun laws than those who live in a household with a firearm (Gewurz, 2013). While on duty, examples of such gun ownership and the impact of firearms use consists of individuals who believe that by passing stricter firearm laws, the government will have power over them. As an officer, we are readily trained to depict (dangerous/ knowledgeable) individuals. Through data from the Pew Research Center, a number of gun owners consider that gun control efforts would be successful. They essentially reject the allegations that harsher gun laws would decrease deaths from mass shootings and in-home accidents or would prevent criminals from obtaining guns (Fingerhut, 2016). In a study of the effects of news media messages about mass shootings and public support for gun control polices, McGinty, Webster, & Barry,
Americans have a long and a complex relationship with guns. A point of pride for some and a source of fear for others. Gun continue to shape sharp debates in United States of America. According to the book “Living with Guns” by Craig R. about four in ten Americans say they either won a gun themselves or live in a household with guns. Also, 48% say they grew up in a household with guns. Furthermore, at least two-thirds of adults say they’ve
Hartigan, Pamela, and Elaine Lammas. "Gun Control." Encyclopedia of Public Health. Ed. Lester Breslow. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 511-513. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 3 May 2014.