It was proposed to research female offenders’ rates of recidivism since this issue remains unresolved because studies focus predominantly on males offenders (Greiner, Law, & Brown, 2015). The choice of the general approach has fallen on qualitative design because it offers a researcher with information regarding the key stakeholders of the study, such as women offenders and their probation/parole officers. A qualitative approach is suitable for the proposed research will be appropriate for examining data that is associated with personal views of participants rather than analyzing a societal trend that can be measured quantitatively. Furthermore, since it is proposed to use surveys, questionnaires, and interviews conducted with study participants, the data acquired from collection methods will require a qualitative analysis. However, preliminary data for the research can be collected through a quantitative method because the scholar will need quantitative data regarding the female recidivism rate from providing background for the research. That said, it could be stated that a mixed research method will be used in the entire study.
The proposed research can employ systematic sampling because this method will be much more effective in reducing the sampling error. After calculating the most suitable sample size for the research, every Nth (N will be chosen randomly) participant will be selected from the list of population members. The list of potential participants will be retrieved from state or federal databases of former female offenders since this information may widely available to the general public. Systematic sampling is quite simple and will save the researchers a lot of time. Furthermore, this sampling method will be appropriate for information retrieved from databases (“Survey sampling methods,” 2014). However, it is important to note that if systematic sampling is ineffective and many participants refuse to be involved in the research, snowball sampling can be used as a “backup” method. Snowball sampling implies asking the selected members of the population to refer to other possible participants and so. Even though this method does not eliminate bias in research, it can be convenient for the researcher that needs to find participants that will be comfortable with discussing such sensitive topics as recidivism.
Lastly, data collection tools for the research on female recidivism will include interviews, questionnaires, and surveys with former female offenders. Such collection tools will yield qualitative data regarding participants’ perceptions of their past experiences or plans for the future (Harris & Brown, 2010). It will be effective to conduct anonymous surveys and questionnaires to facilitate honest responses from participants, especially when the subject of the prison environment is involved. Moreover, study participants will be asked questions regarding the inappropriate behavior of their probation/parole officers, keeping their responses anonymous will ensure that no interpersonal conflicts arise in the future.
To conclude, the research on female recidivism and its relationship to inappropriate behavior or parole/probation can become a fruitful area for studies in criminology due to the gap in the available literature concerning this topic. First, the general approach is qualitative research; although, preliminary data on recidivism rates will be quantitative. Second, systematic sampling will allow the researcher to find study participants from a large list found in a database; however, snowball sampling can be used in case if the majority of possible research subjects refuse to participate. Third, interviews, questionnaires, and surveys are the most reliable data collection tools that will provide the researcher with relevant qualitative data.
References
Greiner, L., Law, M., & Brown, S. (2015). Using dynamic factors to predict recidivism among women. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 42(5), 457-480.
Harris, L., & Brown, G. (2010). Mixing interview and questionnaire methods: Practical problems in aligning data. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 15(1), 1-19.
Survey sampling methods. (2014). Web.