Research Methods in Criminal Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Research Methods in Criminal Justice - Essay Example The researchers can utilize the same time, resources, and energy to collect detailed information from the six precincts, so that a better understanding of the prevailing crime situation can be developed. The disadvantage of such critical case sampling is mainly that it introduces bias in the research since data collection sources were strategically chosen. In addition to that, study of just six police precincts is too less when compared with the total number of precincts distributed across the five boroughs in the New York City, i.e. 76. Although the researchers would be able to collect detailed information from the six precincts, yet a whole range of factors contributing towards the spread of crime in the rest of the boroughs would be missed out. As a result of this, the reliability of research would be lowered as somebody else collecting information from the left out precincts might reach different results for the same city. Alternative sampling methods could be selection of precincts that would at least be equal to the sample size generated from the 76 precincts. A questionnaire-based survey from all precincts would be more convenient and reliable, yet the researchers would not b e able to have a detailed insight that they can have by selecting just six