Methods of Criminology and Criminal Justice Research

Mathieu Deflem, Department of Sociology, University of South Carolina, USA, specializes in the sociology of social control, terrorism, policing, sociology of law, and sociological theory. He is the author of four books, including The Policing of Terrorism (2010) and Sociology of Law (2008).Derek M.D. Silva, Department of Sociology, King's University College at Western University, Canada, specializes in radicalization and violent extremism, policing, sport, and social control. His most recent work can be found in peer-reviewed journals Sociological Forum, Race & Class, and the Sociology of Sport Journal.

• Introduction: Measuring Crime and Criminal Justice; Mathieu Deflem and Derek M.D. Silva Part I: General Patterns and Trends  Chapter 1.Is Crime Rising or Falling? A Comparison of Police Recorded Crime and Victimisation Surveys; Barak Ariel and Matthew Bland Chapter 2.Using Freedom of Information Requests in Socio-Legal Studies, Criminal Justice, and Criminology; Kevin Walby and Alex Luscombe Chapter 3.Criminal Group Dynamics and Network Methods; Marie Ouellet and Sadaf Hashimi Part II: Special Groups and Problems Chapter 4.Innovative Methods of Gathering Survey Data on Violence Against Women; Walter S. Dekeseredy Chapter 5.Methods of Male Sex Work Research: Recommendations and Future Research Opportunities; Navin Kumar Chapter 6.Employing Mixed Methods: The Case of Elder Financial Exploitation; Julie Brancale and Thomas G. Blomberg Chapter 7.Perceptions of School Safety in the Aftermath of a Shooting: Challenge to Internal Validity?; Jennifer O’Neill, Timothy Mccuddy, and Finn-Aage Esbensen Part III: Crossing Boundaries  Chapter 8.Methodological Challenges in Collaborative Research with Immigrant Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence in Canada; Nawal Ammar and Arshia U. Zaidi Chapter 9.The Uses and Limits of Photovoice in Research on Life After Immigration Detention and Deportation; Sarah Turnbull Chapter 10.Agency Records as a Method for Examining Human Trafficking; Valerie R. Anderson, Teresa C. Kulig, and Christopher J. Sullivan Chapter 11.Searching for Extremist Content Online Using the Dark Crawler and Sentiment Analysis; Ryan Scrivens, Tiana Gaudette, Garth Davies, and Richard Frank

Beginning with the understanding that a discipline's fundamental theories determine what questions researchers ask and what methods they use to answer them, scholars of criminology and criminal justice offer an overview of the value and use of a variety of methods and research techniques in those fields. In sections on general patterns and trends, special groups and problems, and crossing boundaries, they consider such topics as whether crime is rising or falling: a comparison of police-recorded crime and victimization surveys, innovative methods of gathering survey data on violence against women, methods of male sex work research: recommendations and future research opportunities, methodological challenges in collaborative research with immigrant women experiencing intimate partner violence in Canada, and agency records as a method for examining human trafficking.