Criminal Justice Field Research Essay

Concept of Ethics in Criminal Justice Research

Ethics is one of the most important issues in the field of criminal justice given its consideration as the mainstay of professionalism in this discipline. The significance of ethics in the criminal justice field is attributable to the fact that the various professionals or actors in this field exercise discretion when making decisions and need to enforce the law in the process. Therefore, ethical considerations are critical in decision-making processes involving discretion, due process, and force. Additionally, such considerations are necessary in criminal justice research, which plays a crucial role in criminal justice practices. This paper focuses on examining the concept of ethics in criminal justice research and potential ethical questions/issues that criminal justice researchers are likely to face.

As previously indicated, professionals and actors in the criminal justice field are faced with various situations that require ethical decision-making. An example of these professionals who need to make ethical considerations and decision-making in their work is criminal justice researchers. Ethics and scientific research are interrelated concepts, particularly in the criminal justice discipline (Wolfgang, 2010). Research processes and activities in criminal justice studies requires making ethical decisions in light of what is right and wrong and/or good and evil. Therefore, the concept of ethics in criminal justice research refers to principles governing the conduct of a criminal justice researcher as he/she acquires information/knowledge relating to the practice. Based on these governing principles, the criminal justice researcher needs to consider the perceptions of right and wrong or good and evil when acquiring information.

Some examples of situations that pose ethical questions include publication of research findings, potential obstruction of justice during the research process, and how to protect the privacy of research participants (Wolfgang, 2010). Criminal justice researchers can address these ethical issues through seeking for written informed consent from participants when conducting the study, maintaining confidentiality and privacy of these participants, and adhering to ethical principles and standards like utilitarianism throughout their work.

In conclusion, ethics is one of the major issues in the field of criminal justice given that the various professionals and actors in this discipline face situations that require ethical considerations. Criminal justice researchers are among professionals who need to make ethical considerations in their line of work. Ethics in criminal justice research entails the principle governing standards utilized by researchers to acquire and utilize information/knowledge for research purposes and for enhancing criminal justice practices. As a result, these professionals are faced with varying situations relating to safeguarding research participants and information obtained from the study. Criminal justice researchers can get around the emerging ethical issues/questions through maintaining privacy and confidentiality, seeking written informed consent, and applying ethical principles and standards.

Research Focusing on Police Patrol

Police patrols have been widely used as one of the major techniques towards crime prevention and control. In this regard, patrols by law enforcement officers have been utilized as the premise for arresting crime suspects and helping to deter potential involvement in criminal activities. However, this issue has attracted considerable attention in the recent past, particularly with regards to the effectiveness of police patrol in crime prevention and control. While the case for police patrol has been well established in existing literature, there are questions/concerns on its effectiveness in crime prevention and control. This paper examines research focusing on police patrol in terms of research methods and limitations for the findings. An overall evaluation of the effectiveness of police patrol in crime prevention and control is also included in the paper.

Police patrol has been the subject of numerous studies because of its role in crime prevention and control. One of the recent studies that have been conducted on police patrol is a study by Alison Wakefield on the value of foot patrol. Wakefield (2008) conducted the study on the premise that foot patrol has become prominent in British policing policy. The study focused on examining whether foot patrol by law enforcement officers and other policing agents can meet the high expectations of policymakers and citizens. In this regard, the researcher conducted a comprehensive literature review on social surveys, empirical studies, and policy documents on foot patrol. The study found that foot patrols by police officers are valuable when rendered in a more accessible, common, visible, and knowledgeable manner based on local people and issues. However, the findings are limited on the premise that they focused on the public’ expectations rather than what happens in the patrols and relied on a flawed basis of analysis.

As previously indicated, police patrols are employed to help in prevention and control of crime by law enforcement officers. Since police patrols are carried out using different techniques and based on the community, they are effective in crime prevention and control. Additionally, police patrol is effective in crime prevention and control since it enables police officers to conduct inspections on areas where crimes are likely to occur. The inspections in turn help in preventing possible crimes or lessening the occurrence and impact of the crimes.

In conclusion, police patrol is one of the methods employed by police agencies and personnel to prevent and/or control crime. As a result, this method has attracted considerable attention and been the subject of numerous studies. The study by Wakefield (2008) examines the significance of foot patrol by police officers and found that such patrols are effective when they are responsive to local people and problems. An…