Disadvantages Of Survey Research In Criminal Justice System

Abstract
Research methods are procedures used for gathering information. The information observed is individual or aggregate data on a phenomenon. Traditionally, there are wide ranges of research methods in criminal justice. The most commonly used are survey methods and data analysis. According to Kleck et al; (2006) “survey research is the dominant method of collecting information followed by use of archived data.’’ Furthermore, the most important sources of crime information in U.S criminal justice system are the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and the BJS’ National Crime Victimization Survey.
Keywords: research methods, survey methods, sampling, types of surveys
Introduction

During a research exercise the data collected can be either qualitative or quantitative gathered from observations. Examples of quantitative data recorded in numerical values are survey research, field research, evaluation

However, according to Dantzker and Hunter (88) “survey research is more objective and impartial based on the results of the quantitative research.’’ With this background, this paper describes the methods, merits and demerits of most frequently used survey research in criminal justice system. After describing the various methods of survey research and the purpose of sampling, several issues related to reliability and validity are identified. In the first place, there are four types of surveys namely; mail survey, computer-based survey, telephone survey and interview. In other words, surveys can be categorized as written survey or online survey. It is apparent that each type of survey has it merits and demerits. First, the primary aim of survey is to collect aggregate data that represents the population. In this case, mail surveys would be appropriate because it evades interview