The fundamental responsibility of criminal justice personnel is based on sound decision making. Using the scientific method within the criminal justice 
investigations process allows investigators the opportunity to base their findings on factual data and ethical reasoning. This is especially important within the 
field of criminal justice because the decisions made undergo rigorous scrutiny from entities such as the media, judiciary system, and the general public. Creating 
literature reviews is
a common practice when explaining trends within the criminal justice field. For example, as a criminal justice representative, you may be 
tasked with explaining why calls of domestic violence have increased in a specific area in your jurisdiction over a certain period 
of time. It is your responsibility to 
gather and interpret data, analyze criminological theories, and make use of the scientific method to offer an explanation for
the increase, as well as an effective 
avenue of resolution. In the 
final project 
you will practically apply research methods to come to informed conclusions. 
For this assessment, you will play the part of an individual currently employed at a criminal justice agency
such as a police force, a correctional institution, or a 
court system
. Your administrative staff holds monthly meetings to discuss trends, departmental issues, and community concerns. Your supervisor has 
approached 
you and told you that there has been a trend of increased incidents related to a specific issue, and furthermore, the community has taken notice. Your supervisor 
must provide an answer to the administrative staff and the community, and would like your assistance. You have been tasked with conducting initial research on 
the issue to inform the direction of your supervisor’s 
further research and statement to the administrative staff and community. 
To begin, you will be presented with a predetermined list of issues impacting the field of criminal justice. You are to choose an issue, or select an issue outside of 
the list with
instructor approval. You will then seek out five peer
–
reviewed scholarly articles, two of which must use qualitative methodology, and
synthesize and 
critically analyze the 
literature
to 
develop a research question and create
data
–
informed conclusions 
about your selected issue. Additionally, you must identify the 
methodology
used in each article, and explain the importance of using the scientific method to practice ethical research. 
The project is divided in
to 
three
milestones
, which will be submitted
at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final 
submissions. These milestones will be submitted in 
Modules 
Two
,
Four
,
and
Five. 
The final 
product
will 
be submitted 
in
Module
Seven
.
Additionally, throughout 
the course you will work on a series of worksheets that directly relate to elements of your final research report. 
These worksheets will be submitted 
in 
Modules 
One, Three, 
and
Six. 
In this assignment
,
you will demonstrate
your m
astery of the following course outcomes: 

Develop 
research questions
that address contemporary issu
es in criminal justice by applying a
ppropriate criminological theories

Interpret criminal justice 
research
to identify patterns for drawing evidence