Basically, quantitative criminology is the study of crime, including its causes and the effects of crime on society. The field uses statistical methods such as surveys, causation studies, and meta-analysis to make inferences about crime.
UCR
Traditionally, criminology has used quantitative methods to study crime and criminal behavior. This is a method that provides numerous ways to acquire and analyze data. Using these techniques, criminologists can determine trends and relationships between behavior and crime.
The first quantitative data in criminology was collected by Emile Durkheim. He conducted his first modern research project titled Suicide. He studied the rates of suicide across different populations.
Since then, a number of social scientists have contributed to the field. These researchers looked at the social experiences of people who had been convicted of crimes. They also considered the environment.
While many of the early theories have remained consistent, criminology research has evolved. Currently, most criminologists use quantitative methods to study crime. These include survey research, evaluation research, and field research.
The FBI Uniform Crime Report (UCR) is the main source of official crime statistics in the U.S. It is created by collecting data from law enforcement agencies in the U.S., including federal, state, and local authorities. It includes crimes reported by the police and other sources. The UCR has been around for more than eight decades.
Surveys of offenders
Various research has been conducted on surveys of offenders. Some have shown promising results. However, there is no clear method that dominates the criminology field today.
The most important development in self-report methodology is the introduction of longitudinal designs. This allows researchers to study changes in criminal behavior and apply developmental theories.
The self-report crime survey has become an increasingly common tool for investigating criminal behavior. They argue that offending behaviour is not an exception to the rule.
These types of surveys include items measuring theoretical concepts, such as the severity of crime, and the length of time spent in prison. Although these are useful, there are pitfalls to the design. Some of these are the result of low contact rates and a lack of willingness to cooperate in online surveys. These challenges are especially true in offender populations.
There is little evidence that the self-report crime survey is a good measure of the etiology of delinquency. One of the most popular methods for comparing self-reported measures of delinquency is to compare them with official data from criminal justice agencies.
Causation studies
Choosing the appropriate quantitative research method for criminology can be tricky. There are many methods that criminologists can use, including survey research, evaluation research, field research, and longitudinal data.
One of the most common types of research is sampling. In sampling, researchers randomly select participants from a group. This can be a reliable data source if it is done correctly. However, there are several reasons why sampling may not be a good choice. Some of these reasons include bias, lack of enough responses, and non-biased samples.
Other research methods, such as meta-analysis, are gaining more attention. In this type of research, scientists pull together results from multiple studies and make empirical statements about the relationship between an event and its effect.
For example, an effect size measures the magnitude of an observed change. In criminal justice, an effect size might be standardized mean difference. This means that it can measure how well the program changed the crime rate.
Another important type of research method is time-series designs. This is especially useful for impact studies of social programs or new laws. In this type of research, researchers collect data from a group over a specific period of time.
Meta-analysis
Unlike traditional literature reviews, meta-analysis involves systematic methods for conducting a thorough analysis. It includes specifying the search strategy, extracting data from studies, computing effect sizes, and interpreting results. It is a powerful tool in criminology for evaluating the effects of crime prevention and criminal justice related interventions.
In a recent study, researchers analyzed 64 meta-analyses published in top-tier journals in the criminology and criminal justice field from the past two years. The study explored the extent to which each study complied with best practices in reproducibility. These practices are important because they can improve the quality of the results of meta-analyses.
Generally, studies vary in terms of their transparency. For instance, some studies noted that they had pre-registered review protocols, but few provided information about registering the review protocol. Other studies did not note that they had publicly available code or other materials.
The research team used modified PRISMA 2020 checklists to assess the degree of transparency in each study. They found that the core checklist items were not met, while the rest of the items were met, but at a low rate.
