Fundamentals of Criminological and Criminal Justice Inquiry

How to think about conduct and evaluate research is fundamental to the study and understanding of criminology and criminal justice. Students take methods statistics theory and topic-specific classes but they struggle to integrate what they learn and to see how it fits within the broader field of criminology and criminal justice research. This book directly tackles this problem by helping students to develop a ''researcher sensibility'' and demonstrates how the ''nuts and bolts'' of criminal justice research - including research design theory data and analysis - are and can be combined. Relying on numerous real-world examples and illustrations this book reveals how anyone can ''think like a researcher''. It reveals too why that ability is critical for being a savvy producer or consumer of criminological and criminal justice research.