METHODOLOGY

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METHODOLOGY

• QUALITATIVE

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PHILOSOPHY

• INTERPRETIVISM- MAX WEBER 1864-1920
• SOCIOLOGY IS A SCIENCE WHICH ATTEMPTS THE
  INTERPRETIVE UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIAL ACTION
• PEOPLE CANNOT BE STUDIED IN THE SAME MANNER AS
  THE PHYSICAL WORLD AS PEOPLE ATTACH MEANING TO
  WHAT THEY DO.

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QUALITATIVE METHODS

• THE INTERPRETIVE PROCEDURE
• TO UNDERSTAND-
• SOCIAL ACTORS PERCEPTION OF SOCIAL REALITY
• TO HAVE AN EMPATHETIC UNDERSTANDING EG VERSTEHEN
  (WEBER)

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METHODS

• FEILDWORK/ DIRECT OBSERVATION
• INTERVIEWS AND THE UN -STRUCTURED QUSTIONNAIRE
• INDEPTH CASE STUDIES AND LIFE HISTORIES

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FIELDWORK/DIRECT OBSERVATION

• ROOTS IN ETHNOGRAPHY
• AN IN DEPTH STUDY OF A SPECIFIC GROUP OVER TIME
  (ERVING GOFFMAN ASYLUM 1961)
• THE RESEARCHER BECOMES PARTICIPANT IN THE
  OBSERVED BEHAVIOUR
• PARTICIPANT AND NON PARTICIPANT
• OVERT
• COVERT- GOING NATIVE EG THE SECRET POLICEMAN
• CRITIQUE- OVER INVOLVEMENT AND LOSS OF DETACHMENTS

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MARC DALY
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Qualitative Interviews

• SEMI STRUCTURED THE RESEARCHER GUIDES THE
  RESPONDENT
• OPEN ENDED- THE RESPONDENT IS AT LIBERTY TO
  ANSWER QUESTIONS AS THEY WISH
• CONVERSATIONAL- VERY INFORMAL USING RESEARCH
  GUIDE

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QUESTIONNAIRE

• OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS- WHICH ALLOW THE RESPONDENT
  FREEDOPM TO ANSWER IN THEIR OWN WAY
• MORE FLEXIBLE AND PROVIDE RICHER INFORMATION
• BE AWARE OF LEADING QUESTIONS
• EG DO YOU AGREE THAT SEX OFFENDERS SHOULD
  RECEIVE THE DEATH PENALTY?
• WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF THE DEATH PENALTY FOR SEX
  OFFENDERS
• AMBIGUOUS QUESTIONS EG DO YOU THINK THAT THE
  CRIME RATE IS BETTER OR WORSE NOW THAN IT WAS
  WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG?
• MORE DIFFICULT TO COMPARE

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CASE STUDIES AND LIFE HISTORIES

• BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL
• LETTERS , CONTEMPORARY REPORTS NEWS CLIPPINGS
• EG SEE SUTHERLAND (1937)- CHIC CONWELL AND HIS
  CRIMINAL CAREER
• CASE STUDY LONGITUDINAL IN DEPTH EXAMINATION OF
  AN EVENT INSTANCE, PERSON, COMPANY , GOVERNMENT
  AGENCY
• RESIGNERS (SIMON HOLDAWAY 1997)
• HELLS ANGELS (THOMPSON 1967)

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PROBLEMS OF ACCESS WITHIN CRIMINOLOGY

• NATURE - CRIMINALS VICTIMS AND THE CRIMINAL
  JUSTICE SYSTEM
• GATEKEEPERS
• POLITICS
• ETHICS ESP FOR COVERT OPERATIONS

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SELF REFLEXIVITY

• ETHICS
• MORALLITY
• POLITICS
• THE RESEARCHES ROLE
• SUBJECTIVITY AND BIAS
• VALIDITY

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Qualitative Methods in Criminology Strengths

• Descriptive information on an unknown
• phenomenon
• Enter the social world of criminals
• - Social meanings
• - Subculture
• - Criminal perspectives
• Develop new hypotheses and explanations

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Weaknesses

• Generalizablity difficult to generalize to
  larger
• populations of interest
• Causality cannot test whether the explanation
  is a cause using scientific methods
• Samples are biased through researcher
• assumptions and respondent self-selection
• strategies.