SOCIAL RESEARCH

Social Research: Theory and Practice

Social Research: Theory and Practice

COMPONENT ONE: Quantitative Article

The research under consideration in this critique is "It is a sucker's outfit: How urban gangs enable and impede the reintegration of ex-convicts" done by Greg Scott in 2004.

Research Background

For the purpose of this critique, this paper will begin by providing an n introduction providing a summary of the research under discussion. This will be followed by a critical discussion of the research process. The discussion will entail an analysis of the literature that has informed the research, the theoretical assumptions that have underpinned, the practical issues that have affected the design the data collection and analysis and any ethical or political issues. The discussion will also attempt to highlight the extent to which the researcher's account is consistent and the extent to which the research questions answered. In addition, the discussion will also give consideration to the extent to which the findings are convincing. The discussion will come to a conclusion that seeks to summarize the main points raised and which and sums up the research issues under consideration. This research is deductive in nature as it explores the topic by first discussing it in general.

The research was carried out to shed light on the manner in which gang dealings have a negative influence on the formerly incarcerated lives of ex-convicts. This research carried out with regard to male ex-convicts. The researcher employed an interview based approach for data collection. The interviewees constituted ex-convicts and informants who had been in interaction with the gangs and drug dealers of Chicago. The author sought to determine the authenticity of the perspective that considered gang influence to be damaging for ex-felons in the long run. In the process, the researcher has asserted that the aggravation and hardships that ex-felons go through motivate them to take assistance from gangs; and while these gangs provide the assistance that is necessary for these ex-cons to survive, it tends to lead them towards the very same elements that landed them the ex-felons in prison in the first place. A key element that the research highlights that comes from the field research performed.

Usage of literature & Methodology

The presentation of literature in this study follows a distinctive pattern. The researcher has not followed the traditional approach. The researcher has not presented previous researches under a separate heading or in a separate section. On the contrary, the researcher has chosen to present former studies as the research paper progresses. In this regard, the researcher has used literature that does not seem to be limited to any time span. In fact, a cursory analysis revealed that some of the former studies that used in the establishment of the literature span as far back as the early 1960s. However, it observed that the researcher has made sure that researcher ensured that the former studies used for the establishment of the literature were relevant.

Comparing Scott's (2004) research with the recommendations given in Doing Criminological Research by Pamela Davies, Peter ...