Research Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research Plan - Assignment Example Basis for Violent Crimes Committed by Teenage Offenders Thesis Statement The statement for this thesis is to conduct research that presents why youthful offenders, aged 18 and under, commit the violent crimes they do, such as murders of old people and babies, and to determine what effective punishments will curb these crimes. The criminal justice system currently provides a certain leniency in punishments for youthful offenders in order to try and rehabilitate them, assuming they are, at a young age, not capable of making informed judgments for their actions. The impact of youthful offenders on the criminal justice system is that there are younger offenders committing more violent crimes than ever before, thus taxing the criminal court system as well. It would appear that current judgments made against young offenders, do not deter them enough so that they would move away from the environment that assists or encourages them to commit these crimes. Communities are also stressed becaus e rehabilitative services operate on limited budgets and, with an overload of cases, care and attention will also be limited. In the community itself, people are more afraid because, with youthful offenders, one cannot always protect oneself against younger criminals because laws also protect the young against abuse. Hypothesis The statement of prediction for this issue is that â€Å"if you are a younger offender, bent on violent crimes, you will not be punished the same way, or as severely, as adult offenders.† This hypothesis will examine the causes of violent crime by youthful offenders, such as poor economic circumstances, negative friendships, lack of parental supervision, and lack of educational or sports activities outside of home and school. The effects of this hypothesis will be the impact on the criminal justice system in overcrowded juvenile courts, punishments without efficient rehabilitative services, and whether criminal sentences are severe enough for violent c rimes, such as murder. An added effect is the impact on communities who are fearful of living in their homes because of these crimes, who will also take more advanced measures to protect their own, if the police cannot be relied on. Accordingly, the variables will be: causes-poor economic background, negative friends, no adult supervision, no outside activities, and for effects: overcrowded justice systems, inadequate rehabilitative services, too lenient sentences, and fearful communities. Measurement and Analysis Study Design – The study design is a quantitative literature review of cases and research studies, utilizing secondary data for descriptive analysis. The data searched for will be found in research studies, criminology reports and government databases. The data, reflecting the variables listed in the hypothesis, will be used in creating a new analysis of the problem which can identify solutions, based on results. All research studies and cases will be no older than 10 years. Sample – The sample will consist of youthful offenders from age 18 and under, found in secondary literature research. The review will also include, wherever possible, the judge’s decision in these case studies, and why the judge gave the decision for the offender. The descriptive in summary analysis will include gender, age, education, and head of household, i.e. mother or father, or both. The variables will be those listed in the hyp