The Practice of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice

by Ronet D. Bachman, Russell K. Schutt

The authors are proud sponsors of the 2020 SAGE Keith Roberts Teaching Innovations Award—enabling graduate students and early career faculty to attend the annual ASA pre-conference teaching and learning workshop.

"Very practical approach to teaching research methods and very student friendly. This text "breathes life" into the research process. —Sherill Morris-Francis, Mississippi Valley State University

 

The Practice of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Seventh Edition demonstrates the vital role research plays in criminology and criminal justice by integrating in-depth, real-world case studies with a comprehensive discussion of research methods. By pairing research techniques with practical examples from the field, Ronet D. Bachman and Russell K. Schutt equip students to critically evaluate and confidently conduct research.

 

The Seventh Edition of this best-selling text retains the strengths of previous editions while breaking ground with emergent research methods, enhanced tools for learning in the text and online, and contemporary, fascinating research findings. This edition incorporates new topics like intelligence-led policing, social network analysis (SNA), the evolution of cybercrime, and more. Students engage with the wide realm of research methods available to them, delve deeper into topics relevant to their field of study, and benefit from the wide variety of new exercises to help them practice as they learn.

 

Give your students the SAGE edge!

SAGE edge offers a robust online environment featuring an impressive array of free tools and resources for review, study, and further exploration, keeping both instructors and students on the cutting edge of teaching and learning.

Genres: School, Nonfiction, Textbooks

607 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 2001

Reviews

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. There are several sections of interest for me. For example, the section titled Ethical Issues in Experimental Research.

Social science experiments often raise difficult ethical issues. You have already read in Chapter 3 that Philip Zimbardo (2004) ended his Stanford Prison Experiment after only six days, rather than after the planned two weeks, because of the psychological harm that seemed to result from the unexpectedly sadistic behavior of some of the “guards.” Although Zimbardo’s follow-up research convinced him that there had been no lasting harm to subjects, concern about the potential for harm would preclude many such experiments today...

I find sections like this informative that contain valuable information about important ethical issues that have been conducted during experiments throughout history. This information is something that we should be aware of to prevent future ethical violations.

There are several other sections that I would put into this review but I do not believe people want to read that type of review.

Overall, I do believe that others should read this. It is a "simple" read, a rather long - simple read but it is worth it.
I would rate it 5 stars but since it is an educational/textbook. I have to rate it at 3 stars because of the neutrality.

***This is a policy I have to keep implicit and explicit biases to a minimum***

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great textbook, with charts, tables and graphics to help with concepts. There are interesting examples of research projects used throughout the book. Each chapter has an example of someone working in the CJ field and specializing in whatever the chapter is presenting. I would recommend this book to professors.

[Whitney · Rating 1 out of 5]

The number of times that this book states, "This should be intuitive" in lieu of actually explaining a concept should have stopped it before it ever went to print. That's not acceptable for a textbook.

This text is a mess of convoluted explanations and bad definitions. For example, here is the text's definition of measurement validity: "The type of validity that is achieved when a measure measures what it is presumed to measure" (85).

Circular definitions in a textbook? Really?

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's my school-book, so I am learning a lot about research methods that I mis-learned in undergrad. If you're in the CJ field and need an additional methods reference book (if this isn't assigned) then I recommend it as an easy book to comprehend.

[Dan]

THIS SHOULD BE A GOOD BOOK FOR REFERENCING TO IN FALL 2012

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

BU MCJ 703 course textbook.