CJA 386 Wk 1 – Measures of Central Tendency

A critical skillset in the field of criminal justice is data-based decision making. This involves locating relevant data within a given set of parameters and analyzing that data to answer questions. One type of data analysis is the measurement of central tendency. In this assignment, you’ll calculate measures of central tendency to better understand the meaning, uses, and limitations of central tendency in criminal justice research.

Find a raw data set of at least 20 data points from a criminal justice data source. Return to your exploration of criminal justice repositories from the discussion this week. Many of these repositories have raw collected data in addition to data analysis and reports. For example, the Bureau of Justice Statistics Data Collection page contains census data for parolees, law enforcement officers, and jail inmates. You can truncate a larger data set to give a small set of data to work with; for example, you may choose to narrow the data down to a particular geographic region or type of criminal justice organization.

Note: You will use the data set you select for next week’s assignment as well.

Write a 790- to 875-word paper in which you do the following:

• Explain why you selected this data set and what questions you would be able to answer with it. In an appendix, include the data set table with a reference link.
• Calculate the mean and median for your data set.
• Interpret the results of your calculation. Explain how the mean and median each represent the central tendency of this small set of data, along with how and why they differ in exact value.
• Explain the implications of the results of your calculation. Consider the following questions in your response:
• When would the mean value or median value be useful?
• What are the limitations of the mean and the median in this data set?
• What do these measures of central tendency tell you or not tell you?
• Apply what you have learned about central tendencies with mean and median. Provide an example and short explanation of how you think mean and median could be used in your desired career in the field of criminal justice.

Cite a minimum of 2 peer-reviewed sources.

Format your paper according to APA guidelines.

Submit your assignment.

CJA 386 Wk 2 – Dispersion Indices

In addition to finding available data, as a consumer of research you’ll need to be able to read existing data analyses and research findings. In this assignment, you’ll calculate 3 dispersion indices (range, variance, and standard deviation) to build an understanding of their uses, limitations, and applications in criminal justice research.

Use the same raw data set of at least 20 data points from a criminal justice data source that you used in your Week 1 assignment.

Write a 875- to 1,050-word paper in which you do the following:

• Calculate the range, variance, and standard deviation for your data set.
• Interpret the meanings of these 3 dispersion indices in the data. Address the following questions:
• What do the range, variance, and standard deviation tell you?
• What do they not tell you (i.e., what are their limitations)?
• How could these limitations be addressed?
• Describe another situation, applicable to your career path in criminal justice, where dispersion indices would be relevant. Address the following questions:
• How could measures of central tendency and dispersion indices be used to make policy and procedure decisions in this situation?
• What are the limitations of the dispersion indices and how they could be addressed in this situation?
• Include the data set table with a reference link in an appendix.

Cite a minimum of 2 peer-reviewed sources.

Format your paper according to APA guidelines.

Submit your assignment.

CJA 386 Wk 3 – Summative Assessment: Statistics in Criminal Justice Research

As a criminal justice professional, being familiar with existing research is key to solving problems and making decisions. It can help you figure out if someone has already answered your questions or arrived at findings that may help you in your decisions. Understanding introductory statistical techniques used in criminal justice will prepare you to review existing research and then apply it to your own environment. In this assignment, you’ll read an article and examine the statistical techniques used by the researchers.

Choose one of the following articles from the Bureau of Justice Statistics to read and summarize for this assignment:

• “State-Administered Indigent Defense Systems, 2013”
• “Prisoners in 2019”

Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you do the following:

• Summarize the selected article.
• Identify the study’s research hypothesis.
• Explain why testing this hypothesis is important.
• Identify the statistical procedures and tests used in the study.
• Describe at least one strength or weakness of the use of data.
• Discuss how the results of the statistical techniques could be applied to the criminal justice profession. Include at least 2 specific examples.

Cite a minimum of 2 peer-reviewed sources.

Format your paper according to APA guidelines.

Submit your assignment.

CJA 386 Wk 4 – Summative Assessment: The Application and Limitations of Statistical Tests

Not every statistical test is appropriate to use in every situation. It’s important to be able to determine when to apply certain statistical tests and what limitations to be aware of. Fortunately, many research studies include sections about the purpose and limitations of the study data and analysis. In this assignment, you will examine research in the criminal justice field that involves the use of statistical tests in order to better understand the applications and limitations of these tools.

Find an article in the University Library that involves the use of inferential statistical tests in analyzing criminal justice data. Follow the steps below to locate a full-text article in the library’s criminal justice database:

1. On the University Library home page, click on Research Databases.
2. In the alphabetical listing of databases, scroll to Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text and click to open it.
3. Click on Advanced Search.
4. In the first search field, add your research methodology (inferential statistics, ANOVA, or t-tests).
5. In the second search field, add a topic within criminal justice that interests you (e.g., police, crime, parole, drug trafficking). You may have to adjust your keyword to find an interesting article that you can use.

Read the article, paying special attention to the application and limitations of specific statistical tests used in the research.

Write an 875- to 1,050-word paper in which you do the following:

• State what interested you about your selected article.
• Summarize the article.
• Identify the statistical test(s) used in the research.
• Discuss the article’s analysis of the research question.
• Compare the appropriateness of the procedures and results to the initial research question. Discuss any limitations of the statistical test(s). What did the researchers not learn from the tests that may be valuable to understand the research question?

Cite a minimum of 2 peer-reviewed sources.

Format your paper according to APA guidelines.

Submit your assignment.

CJA 386 Wk 5 – Summative Assessment: Using Research in Criminal Justice Professions

Now that you’ve gotten a foundation in research, data, and analysis you’ll be better prepared to review criminal justice studies and use relevant data to help you solve problems and make decisions. In this assignment, you’ll demonstrate your knowledge of how research and inferential statistics might be used in criminal justice operations, such as police, courts, and corrections.

Write an 875- to 1,050-word paper in which you do the following:

• Describe your ideal job in criminal justice.
• Explain how you might use published research statistics to help you solve problems and make decisions in your ideal job.
• Provide 2 examples of how you could use published criminal justice research in your ideal job.
• Differentiate between correlation and causation in a way that connects to your ideal job.
• Identify potential applications of correlation and regression within management or research for your chosen criminal justice field.
• Describe how techniques involving association, correlation, and prediction (as in regression) help form policy and operational decisions for more effective criminal justice practices.

Cite a minimum of 2 peer-reviewed sources.

Format your paper according to APA guidelines.

Submit your assignment.