Research Proposal with a Christian Worldview: Assignment Example

Research Proposal Final Draft

Recidivism of offenders of violent crimes has gained attention among scholars in the 21 st Century. Most researchers have focused on this topic due to the high number of violent criminals retained in various correctional facilities in the US. In the US state prisons, violent criminals represent approximately 3 out of 5 (62%) offenders (Prescott et al., 2019). Besides, violent criminals pose a significant threat to community members than other offenders due to the adverse effects of their criminal activities on society (O’Connell et al., 2019). Consequently, several policies have been implemented at the state and federal levels to prevent violent criminals from reoffending in the future. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of current policies and measures in preventing the recidivism of violent criminals has not been explored, creating a gap in the literature. The proposed dissertation proposal analyzes policies adopted in New Jersey to curb recidivism of violent crime offenders: Those released to parole supervision for six months and offenders without parole supervision. This final draft of the dissertation proposal captures various aspects of the qualitative research study, including a statement of the research question, research sub-questions being investigated, reviewing existing literature surrounding research questions, the theoretical and practical significance of research questions, methodology description and rationale, proposed investigation means, data interpretation approach, reasons for undertaking proposed research, and the study’s implications on the policy decision-making process in the future.

Statement of the Research Question

Recidivism of criminals is the most commonly used measure for assessing the efficacy of the US state or federal criminal justice system (CJS). States with lower recidivism rates are associated with effective rehabilitative programs. On the contrary, high recidivism rates imply that CJS is ineffective in molding offenders’ behaviors during the imprisonment period. The rate of recidivism of offenders remains significantly high in New Jersey despite implementing the current rehabilitative measures within the state’s prisons. Statistical data on recidivism is an important metric by which to measure the efficacy of New Jersey’s criminal justice system. The state’s data indicated that approximately 30% of inmates imprisoned in New Jersey prisons in 2017 were re-incarcerated a few years later (Fox et al., 2019). PSO data indicated that 42.3% of 16,043 offenders released from New Jersey’s jail in 2017 were re-incarcerated within the next three years (Fox et al., 2019). This trend raises concerns regarding the efficacy of rehabilitative policies and programs implemented by New Jersey’s CJS in preventing criminals, especially violent offenders, from re-encountering law enforcement officers and the state after being released from prison. Therefore, a study should be conducted to analyze policies adopted by New Jersey’s CJS to curb recidivism among violent criminals within New Jersey.

Sub-Questions Being Investigated in this Qualitative Study

Qualitative studies are mainly conducted to collect qualitative data related to a topic of interest or a specific social issue. However, qualitative studies are usually broad, necessitating the formulation of sub-questions, which guide researchers throughout the data collection process. In the proposed qualitative research study, the inquiry process was informed by three significant research sub-questions, including current rehabilitative programs and policies that the New Jersey CJS has adopted to prevent violent criminals from reoffending after being released from the state’s correctional system; stakeholders’ perceptions of New Jersey’s CJS policies to lower recidivism rates among violent criminals; and respondents’ explanations of additional measures needed to enhance the efficacy of current policies, programs, and procedures in reducing recidivism within New Jersey’s correctional system. These sub-questions have narrowed down the qualitative study, facilitating the data collection process. Consequently, qualitative data regarding New Jersey’s policies targeting the recidivism of violent offenders within the state would be collected from the study’s respondents. This data would indicate additional measures that should be included in the state’s current policies to reduce rates of recidivism involving violent criminals.

Reviewing Literature Surrounding Research Questions

Study findings inform practice change at state and federal levels. Thus, several studies have been conducted to explore policies implemented in New Jersey to prevent recidivism of violent crime offenders. New Jersey’s state government is committed to reducing crime rates and incredibly violent offenses. As a result, New Jersey’s CJS has adopted various rehabilitative programs to mold the behaviors of inmates. New Jersey’s CJS ensures that offenders released from the state’s jails and prisons are molded into law-abiding citizens (Galletta et al., 2021). Thus, inmates are prepared to reenter society as productive citizens from potential harm. However, New Jersey’s rehabilitative programs for inmates seem ineffective based on the state’s recidivism rate. Data released in 2023 indicated that approximately 30% of offenders released from various rehabilitative facilities within New Jersey reoffended within three years (Criminon International, 2023). The high rate of recidivism in New Jersey demonstrates the inefficacy of the state’s prison system in rehabilitating and molding behaviors of individuals convicted of various criminal activities, including violent offenses.

The Theoretical and Practical Significance of Research Questions

In qualitative studies, sub-research questions guide the inquiry process. Qualitative data collected from the study’s respondents is analyzed using significant themes and patterns. These findings indicate gaps in theory and practice that require improvement. In the proposed qualitative study, data collected by reviewing literature related to the research’s sub-questions indicate the inefficacy of New Jersey’s rehabilitative measures in preventing reoffending among violent criminals. This qualitative data indicates theoretical and practical gaps. From the theoretical perspective, qualitative findings indicate that scholars further explore policies implemented by New Jersey’s CJS. For instance, researchers should assess the efficacy of the state’s rehabilitative programs in preventing re-incarceration among other types of offenders, such as domestic violence offenders. Alternatively, studies should examine the efficacy of similar rehabilitative measures in preventing recidivism among criminal offenders in other US states, such as Florida or North Carolina.

On the other hand, study findings are applicable in the practical context. Reviewed literature reported a high rate of recidivism among violent crime offenders within New Jersey. For instance, Criminon International (2023) reported re-incarceration in 30% of offenders rehabilitated in New Jersey correctional facilities. The high recidivism rate implies that the state’s correctional facilities are ineffective in changing inmates’ behaviors. Thus, additional measures should be introduced in New Jersey to complement the state’s current rehabilitative programs, making them more effective in molding inmates’ behaviors. Consequently, the possibility of reengaging in criminal activities among offenders incarcerated in New Jersey’s prison system, including violent criminals, would reduce significantly.

Recommended Methodology and Rationale

A qualitative phenomenological research design is the most appropriate methodology in the proposed dissertation project. According to Hennink et al. (2020), a qualitative research design supports the exploration of a specific phenomenon, enhancing understanding of a particular social issue of concern. A phenomenology approach to qualitative studies focuses on exploring individuals’ experiences with a specific phenomenon, supporting the collection of quality and reliable qualitative data (Dela Fuente, 2021). For this reason, the phenomenology approach is considered the best qualitative research approach. In this qualitative research project, a qualitative phenomenological design would allow the project team to explore various rehabilitative programs and measures implemented within New Jersey CJS to prevent criminals from reoffending after being released via respondents’ shared experiences. Additionally, qualitative research design supports structure or semi-structured open-ended research questions. Ahmad et al. (2020) uses open-ended research questions in qualitative studies as the most effective approach to exploring human behaviors and patterns that cannot be studied via quantitative research methodologies. In the proposed qualitative study, semi-structured research questions would be prepared before the interview to guide the interviewers in collecting relevant qualitative data from respondents, including parole officers from New Jersey CJS. Thus, a qualitative research design is considered the most appropriate methodology for the proposed qualitative research project.

The Proposed Investigation Means

In the proposed dissertation project, qualitative data would be collected through fieldwork. The study will be conducted in two New Jersey correctional facilities. Participants would include parole officers from the selected correctional facilities. The project team would use a purposive sampling method during the participants’ selection. Nyimbili and Nyimbili (2024) reported the efficacy of the purposive sampling technique in selecting the best informants in qualitative studies. Thus, applying this approach during sample selection would ensure that the most appropriate respondents are engaged during data collection. Twenty-five (25) parole officers selected via purposive sampling would be interviewed during data collection. Males and females would be represented in the sample population to promote gender equality. Male parole officers represent 60% of the total informants (15), while females represent 40% (10) respondents.

Potential respondents must meet the inclusion criteria to participate in the interview. First, respondents must be aged between 30 and 50. Secondly, an individual respondent must be a parole officer currently working in one of two correctional facilities selected for the study. Besides, qualified respondents must be involved in rehabilitation programs for violent criminals. Moreover, parole officers involved in the study must have worked with New Jersey CJS for three years or more.

In contrast, potential respondents would be disqualified based on the study’s exclusion criteria. Parole officers working in other correctional facilities except two institutions selected for data collection would be excluded. Secondly, the project team would disqualify parole officers working in the selected correctional facilities if they have served in New Jersey CJS for less than three years. Moreover, parole officers from these facilities who are not involved in rehabilitating offenders of violent crimes would be eliminated from the study. The project team would also eliminate parole officers who have met other conditions if they are below 30 or above 50 years. Research proposal assignment example with Christian Worldview.

Semi-structured research questions would gather relevant data from selected respondents during the study. This interview approach uses pre-determined research questions related to the social issue to gather data from informants during the interview (Naz et al., 2022). Studies show that open-ended interview questions allow researchers to collect in-depth qualitative data through the informant’s shared experience (Busetto et al., 2020). Thus, semi-structured research questions are recommended in the proposed qualitative research project. These questions would support data collection through in-depth discussions with individual respondents, hence answering sub-research questions.

Data Interpretation Approach

In the proposed qualitative project, data collected from parole officers during interviews would be documented in an audio recorder. A phenomenological focus will be applied to analyze the qualitative data collected during the study. According to Williams (2021), in qualitative studies, the phenomenological approach targets the lived experience of informants regarding a specific phenomenon. In phenomenological focus, researchers are mainly interested in how the study’s target group experienced a specific aspect or social issue. Thus, in the proposed qualitative project, incorporating a phenomenological focus into data interpretation would allow the research team to focus on parole officers’ experience with policies targeting the recidivism of violent criminals within New Jersey. Qualitative data would then be analyzed through thematic analysis to identify the most significant patterns and themes related to recidivism policies.

Why was the Proposed Research Study Undertaken?

The qualitative research project is a policy analysis targeting reducing recidivism rates among violent criminals in New Jersey. This qualitative study was necessitated by alarming recidivism rates involving offenders of violent crimes in New Jersey. Although the state has reported a remarkable decrease in crime rates recently, recidivism rates remain significantly high within New Jersey (Criminon International, 2023). State data indicated that about 30% of New Jersey’s offenders are likely to recidivate within three years following release (Criminon International, 2023). This trend raises a concern about current rehabilitative measures and programs, especially those targeting violent criminals. Thus, data collected from parole officers during this qualitative study would indicate if the high rate of recidivism among violent criminals in New Jersey is due to a gap in the state’s current rehabilitative policies.

The Study’s Implications for Policy Decision-Making Process in the Future

Recidivism rates are considered the most appropriate measure of the efficacy of the state’s CJS or prison system. A state’s parole rehabilitative programs are perceived as ineffective if the recidivism rate is relatively high. It is believed that inmates can only reoffend in the future if their behaviors were not molded appropriately during their imprisonment period. Recidivism rates of inmates within a few years after release are relatively high in New Jersey (Criminon International, 2023). Based on the above perspective, measures adopted by the New Jersey CJS to influence offenders of violent crimes to change their behaviors during their imprisonment period are ineffective. Thus, policymakers should consider introducing new rehabilitative measures or amending current strategies to enhance their efficacy in reducing recidivism rates, particularly among violent criminals within New Jersey.

Additional Research Report Components

Proposal’s Anticipated Milestones

The proposed research project will be broken down into three significant phases. The first phase is the planning stage, which consists of three milestones. The first milestone is the project’s approval. The project team will only proceed with the proposed research study upon acquiring approval from the supervisor. The second milestone involves identifying settings where data will be collected. The project team will also secure permission to conduct the study from the management of selected settings. The last milestone of the planning phase is securing the funds needed for project implementation Research proposal assignment example with Christian Worldview.

The second stage, the project phase, consists of several milestones. The first milestone involves selecting the most appropriate research design to be applied during data collection. The choice of research design will depend on the research sub-questions being addressed during the study. Secondly, the project team will email potential participants, including parole officers from two prisons selected for data collection, to inform them about the project. Thirdly, researchers will apply a purposive sampling technique to select the most appropriate informants for this study. Fourthly, the research team will prepare semi-structured interview questions before the interview. Moreover, the research team will use a semi-structured interview questions guide to collect data from respondents during the interview and document data using a tape recorder. The last milestone is data analysis. Quantitative data gathered from respondents during the interview will be analyzed using thematic analysis to identify common patterns and themes.

The last phase is the post-project stage. In this stage, the research team will analyze the implications of the project of policies adopted to curb the recidivism of violent criminals within New Jersey. The study findings will then be presented to relevant authorities to inform policy-making decisions in the future. Consequently, the recidivism rate among violent criminals within New Jersey will reduce remarkably.

Required Resources

A laptop is needed to facilitate communication via email between the project team and key stakeholders, including the supervisor and respondents. The laptop would also prepare a soft copy of semi-structured interview questions before data collection. It will also store data collected from parole officers during the interview. An audio tape recorder will also be needed to record respondents’ answers during the interview.

Timeframe for the Project Accomplishment

The proposed project will be accomplished within twelve weeks. The first two weeks will be spent accomplishing milestones of the planning stage, including seeking project approval and securing permission from the management of correctional facilities selected for data collection. The project phase will be collected within nine weeks. During this period, the project team will select the study’s participants, prepare semi-structured interview questions, collect and transcribe data, and analyze data collected from respondents via thematic analysis to establish the most appropriate themes. The last week will be spent presenting project findings to relevant professionals, particularly key stakeholders in New Jersey’s CJS.

World Christian Perspective

Christianity embraces offenders who repent the sins. The Bible states that God readily takes back sinners who repent their sins as part of His kingdom and gives them eternal life. “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18). Therefore, New Jersey CJS should focus on introducing rehabilitative measures and programs that allow violent criminals to reform and avoid reoffending in the future.

References

Ahmad, S., Wasim, S., Irfan, S., Gogoi, S., Srivastava, A., & Farheen, Z. (2019). Qualitative v/s. quantitative research-a summarized review. Population , 1 (2), 2828-2832. DOI: 10.18410/jebmh/2019/587

Busetto, L., Wick, W., & Gumbinger, C. (2020). How to use and assess qualitative research methods. Neurological Research and Practice , 2 (1), 14. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s42466-020-00059-z

Criminon International. (2023). Criminal Rehabilitation and Justice in New Jersey. Criminon.Org . https://www.criminon.org/where-we-work/united-states/new-jersey/#:~:text=New%20Jersey%20Recidivism,re%2Dincarcerated%20within%20three%20years .

Dela Fuente, J. A. (2021). Implementing inclusive education in the Philippines. College teacher experiences with deaf students. Issues in Educational Research , 31(1), 94-110. http://www.iier.org.au/iier31/dela-fuente.pdf

Fox, B., Verona, E., & Fournier, L. (2019). Psychological assessment of risk in a county jail: Implications for reentry, recidivism and detention practices in the USA. Journal of Criminal Psychology , 9 (4), 173-186. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCP-11-2019-051

Galletta, E., Fagan, T. J., Shapiro, D., & Walker, L. E. (2021). Societal reentry of prison inmates with mental illness: Obstacles, programs, and best practices. Journal of Correctional Health Care , 27 (1), 58-65. Doi: 10.1089/jchc.19.04.0032

Hennink, M., Hutter, I., & Bailey, A. (2020). Qualitative research methods . Sage.

Naz, N., Gulab, F., & Aslam, M. (2022). Development of qualitative semi-structured interview guide for case study research. Competitive Social Science Research Journal , 3 (2), 42-52. https://cssrjournal.com/index.php/cssrjournal/article

Nyimbili, F., & Nyimbili, L. (2024). Types of Purposive Sampling Techniques with Their Examples and Application in Qualitative Research Studies. British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies, 5(1), 90-99. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37745/bjmas.2022.0419 .

O’Connell, D., Visher, C., & Liu, L. (2019). Violent offending, desistance, and recidivism. Marq. L. Rev. , 103 , 983. https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/marqlr103&div=35&id=&page=

Prescott, J. J., Pyle, B., & Starr, S. B. (2019). Understanding violent-crime recidivism. Notre Dame L. Rev., 95, 1643. https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/tndl95&div=47&id=&page=

The English Standard Version Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with Apocrypha. (2016). Oxford University Press.

Williams, H. (2021). The meaning of “Phenomenology”: Qualitative and philosophical phenomenological research methods. The Qualitative Report , 26(2), 366-385. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2021.4587 .

Research proposal assignment example with Christian Worldview

RESEARCH PROPOSAL ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS

OVERVIEW

For this assignment, you will write a qualitative research proposal directed at investigating a

specific public policy concern. This document will culminate from your Working Papers. This

document will culminate from your Working Paper Assignments. Given the sequence of

working papers you have completed, each addressing an aspect of the research proposal

development process, you are to generate the final proposal.

INSTRUCTIONS

– The final draft of this research proposal should conform to the commonly understood

elements of a qualitative investigation, i.e. statement of the research question and sub-

questions under investigation; a brief review of the literature surrounding the question(s);

the practical and theoretical significance of the question(s); description and rationale for

the methods employed; the description of the proposed means of investigation, and the

approach to interpretation. Give the reasons why such research should be undertaken,

highlighting the implications for future policy decision-making.

– Make sure all additional research report components that may be required are well-

labeled: i.e. proposal’s anticipated milestones, required resources, timeframe for

accomplishment, letter of transmittal, foundations, and professional audiences that would

welcome to the proposed study.

– The assignment should be a minimum of 10 pages and is to be produced according to

current APA formatting.

Note: The Turnitin plagiarism tool will check this paper for originality.

My Topic of Interest is A Policy Analysis of Recidivism of “Violent Criminals”: those without parole supervision and those released to parole supervision for a period of six (6) months in the state of New Jersey.

Any sources cited must have been published within the last five years. Acceptable sources include the assigned readings, articles in top-tier peer-reviewed academic journals, analytical reviews of policy-related think tanks, and the Bible.

Required Reading and Watching:

-Read: Tolley, Ulin, Mack, Robinson & Succop: Chapter 8

-Watch: How to write a research Methodology in 4 steps

Watch: What is Research Methodology in A Dissertation or Thesis? SIMPLE Explainer With Examples

Research proposal assignment example with Christian Worldview