Research essay

Justice System: Deter Or Promote Future Delinquency (1) What is the hypothesis of the research? (5 points) The hypothesis of the research is whether or not the justice system deters or promotes future misconduct. (2) List and operationalize all independent and dependent variables examined. (10 points) Independent variable: Justice system Dependent variable: Actions of individual, British twins “Both have shifted the primary focus away from the individual offender and have placed it on the actions and impact of the justice system where contact with the system works as a turning point that alters the life..” “According to deterrence theory, justice system contact is a positive turning point, implying contact reduces future offending by teaching offenders the costs of crime outweigh the benefits. According to labeling theory,justice system contact is a negative turning point, implying contact exacerbates the chances of later offending by initiating a self-fulfilling prophecy in which the individual perceives him- or herself as a “bad apple.” (3) What method of data collection was used and the sample examined? (5 points) Method: Longitudinal data - “We draw on data from a nationally representative and longitudinal study of British twins to estimate the effect of coming into contact with the justice system on subsequent delinquency” Sample examined: “We account for the confounding influences of selection bias by leveraging a unique sample and a powerful methodological design that has been recognized for its ability to rule out a wide range of biasing influences: a family fixed-effects design. 4) Discuss the prior literature reviewed and its relevance to the research problem. Do you believe the literature review is an adequate representation of all relevant studies? (10 points) (5) What do the findings suggest? (5 points) Drawing on data from a nationally representative and longitudinal birth cohort of British adolescent twins, we found that contact with the justice system—through spending a night in jail/prison, being issued an ASBO,or having an official crime record—promotes misbehavior, which supports the labeling hypothesis.

(6) Can this research be generalized? Why or why not? (10 points) focused on one cohort of twins from theUnited Kingdom. Findings should be replicated using twins (or siblings) from other countries and potentially from other birth cohorts to gain a broader perspective on how generalizable the results are. (7) How well do you believe the research design chosen was suited to the research question? (10 points) (8) How clearly was the data presented and discussed? Do you believe the results are substantively important? (5 points) (9) What additional questions or hypotheses are suggested by the study's results? (10 points) (10) What are some of the potential drawbacks of this research? (10 points) One factor partially responsible for the mixed evidence base is that much of the available research has had methodological designs that may not adequately account for preexisting differences between individuals that affect variation in their risk of engaging in offending behavior (see Loughran, Pater-noster, & Piquero, 2018) scholars have sought to test deterrence and labeling, but they have tended to do so with research designs that cannot disentangle causal effects from selection effects as a result of their reliance on observable variables to control for selection. Research Essay requirements: ​RESEARCH PAPER: 20% The purpose of this project is to apply the knowledge gained throughout the semester to analysis of a research article. This project will involve the analysis of ​“DOES CONTACT WITH THE JUSTICE SYSTEM DETER OR PROMOTE FUTURE DELINQUENCY? RESULTS FROM A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF BRITISH ADOLESCENT TWINS”​by Ryan T. Motz,et als. in ​Criminology, May 2020; volume 58 issue 2(pp. 280-306).​ The assignment will be provided for the students during the semester. The assignment components and grading specifics are outlined below: (1) What is the hypothesis of the research? (5 points) (2) List and operationalize all independent and dependent variables examined. (10 points)

(3) What method of data collection was used and the sample examined? (5 points) 4) Discuss the prior literature reviewed and its relevance to the research problem. Do you believe the literature review is an adequate representation of all relevant studies? (10 points) (5) What do the findings suggest? (5 points) (6) Can this research be generalized? Why or why not? (10 points) (7) How well do you believe the research design chosen was suited to the research question? (10 points) (8) How clearly was the data presented and discussed? Do you believe the results are substantively important? (5 points) (9) What additional questions or hypotheses are suggested by the study's results? (10 points) (10) What are some of the potential drawbacks of this research? (10 points) NB: The assignment calls for an analysis of the article. The assignment components and ​grading specifics outlined above are just a guide as to what students should look for when analyzing research articles.