Discuss the application of knowledge to social science research
What will be an ideal response?
• A basic problem with knowledge application has been raised by some academics, who question whether social science research has reached a level of sophistication sufficient to merit influencing public policy. Elliot responded to a call for greater influence by sounding a note of caution. He argued that criminologists should be more hesitant to offer advice to policy makers.
• Elliot also posited that replication, or retesting experiments in different settings and at different times to see if the same or similar results are found, should be a standard research procedure. However, the nature of criminal justice agency activities make this a difficult process.
• Finally, Elliot contends that high-quality studies are still few in number. Little data on criminal justice have been collected over a long enough period of time to ensure confident conclusions. A major consequence of taking research seriously is that doing so opens up the policy process for critical examination. Data take policy out of the realm of simple preferences or untested assumptions. A commitment to research is a commitment to defending policy choices as rational.
You might also like to view...
The Badr Brigade/Corps is a Sunni militia similar to the Mahdi army, composed of Iraqi military officers who escaped, defected or were captured during and after the Iran-Iraq war, 1980–1988
a. True b. False
The planning unit of a police agency provides all of the following with the exception of:
A) development of statistical information B) development of legal information C) contributions to the decision making process D) communication of orders
Multivariate statistics do not allow researchers to account for several causally related variables
Indicate whether the statement is true or false.
Girls who suffer sexual abuse often engage in high-risk behaviors that involve them in juvenile court
Indicate whether the statement is true or false