Assignment: Check out some of the datasets collected by the Bureau of Justice Statistics at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ (Links to an external site.) Select a dataset and describe the sampling procedures used to collect data. What type of sample is it? Probability sample? Non-probability sample? What type of random sample? How representative is the sample? Is the sample generalizable? Explain with examples.
Assignment: Propose a sampling design that would be appropriate for your research proposal. (Juveniles tried as Adults and the Death Penalty) Define the population, identify the sampling frame(s), and specify the elements and any other units of analysis (e.g., individual, group, institutional) at different stages. Indicate the exact procedure (step by step) for selecting individuals to be included in the sample. What specific type of sample is most appropriate for your research topic? Is your sample a probability random sample or non-probability sample? Explain the exact procedures that would make it random or not?
Assignment: Explain your sampling design approach in detail for your research proposal. Specifically, what type of sample do you plan to utilize in your research proposal? What is your sample size? Explain your rationale clearly. How representative and generalizable is your sample?
Juveniles Tried as Adults and the Death Penalty
Choose a dataset and explain the sampling techniques that were used to obtain the data for it. What kind of a sample is this exactly? Probability sample? Non-probability sample? Which kind of random sample are you looking for? What kind of a representation does the sample provide? Is it possible to generalize from the sample? Give some instances to explain.
This study makes use of a dataset that pertains to minors who were charged with offenses in state courts prior to the year 1998. The study recruited a total of 7,000 juveniles from 40 of the most populous counties for its sample. In this study, we employed a method called simple random sampling, which means that the 7,000 participants were selected at random from from a large population of juveniles who had been accused in the adult courts in any of the 40 counties (Scott, 1998). The sample is representative of the population because it contains both male and female adolescents who were sentenced to varying degrees of confinement as a result of their offenses.
Your assignment is to provide a sampling strategy that would be suitable for the study proposal you will be submitting. (The Execution of Juveniles and the Trial of Children as Adults) In the context of my study proposal, the process of probability-based random sampling that includes stratified sampling is the one that seems to make the most sense. The topic of juveniles being prosecuted as adults and given the death penalty will be investigated over the course of the study. As a result, this method of sampling will involve the stratification of the research population (juveniles) according to the crimes that played a role in determining whether or not they should face the death penalty. After then, an equal number of samples will be taken from each stratum (Hamed, 2016). For instance, since 1973, there have been 226 adolescents sentenced to death, of which 22 have been put to death and 82 are still awaiting their execution. As a result, the stratified sampling will put these adolescents into categories based on the sort of offense they committed in order to identify the forms of criminal behavior that were responsible for these charges.
This method of sampling is the most appropriate one because it makes it possible to conduct a more precise analysis of juveniles who are being tried in adult courts. This is in contrast to the straightforward random sampling method, which would have led to an over-representation of the sample population. It will help in decreasing bias and make it easier to incorporate reliable data for the study thanks to the fact that this. For instance, the results of this study will make it quite simple to understand the various factors that led to the imposition of the death penalty on juveniles despite the fact that they had not yet reached the age at which one is required by law to be tried in an adult court.
References
Hamed, T. (2016). Sampling Methods in Research Methodology; How to Choose a Sampling Technique for Research. , 2016, 5. International Journal of Academic Research in Management (IJARM), 5, 1-11.
Scott, K. (1998). Juveniles in Criminal Court. Retrieved 2022, from Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS): https://bjs.ojp.gov/data-collection/juveniles-criminal-court#documentation-0
