An Investigation on Whether Capital Punishment Deters Crime - Research Proposal Example

Research proposal Proposed title of the research project: An investigation on whether capital punishment deters crime. Abstract This research proposal seeks to investigate whether capital punishment deters crime. Various researches have been carried out in relation to this topic by psychologists, sociologists, social anthropologists, and psychiatrists who have given their different views on the same. Some researchers propose that capital punishment do deter crime, whereas others argue that capital punishment has no deterrent impact. This has been evidenced through the review of literature from various academicians. Due to these controversies, there is no clear answer on whether capital punishment deters crime. As a result, this proposal will encompass the use of qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection to investigate in this area and the data obtained will be analyzed through the use of statistical methods and presented in percentages. This will enable the researcher make a credible conclusion in the subject. Aims and objectives The key question of the research project is: does capital punishment deter crime? The main aim and objective of this research is to assist the researcher in obtaining credible information regarding this research question which as a result will help the researcher in making conclusion on whether or not capital punishment deters crime. Specific objectives The specific objectives which will assist in achieving this aim include: Investigating the effects of capital punishments among criminals Exploring the levels of crime rates with and without capital punishment. Investigating the reasons why criminal commit crimes Problems and issues In relation to the problem being investigated, this research also seeks to address various issues. For instance, the concern of why some criminal commit crimes has being pointed out. This is according to the proponents’ views who argue that every execution limits a particular number of crimes which has been comprehensively discredited (The American Civil Liberties Union, 2007). Furthermore, the issue of whether or not capital punishment is the best method of deterring crimes has also been addressed. Opponents argue that there is no credible proof that capital punishment discourages crimes more effectively compared to other punishments such as long-term imprisonment. Problem statement Crime growth has been on the increase in the contemporary society. This is due to the fact that there has been too much leniency which actually has been going hand in hand with accelerated rate of victimization of people. Millions are being killed and it is argued that it is due to the fact that the justice system is not efficient. It is evident that there are many loopholes created for offenders and as a result of this the rate of crime has continued to tremendously increase. According to studies, the rate of crime increased by eleven times between the years 1960 and 1968. Since then more and more people are being assaulted, raped, and robbed as well as being murdered. It is against this backdrop that the researcher aims at investigating the field of crime to acquire credible information to determine whether or not capital punishment deters crime. Background information The topic of whether or not capital punishment deters crime is one area of research in the field of criminology. The aspect criminology is delineated as the scientific study of nature, extent, causes and control of criminal behaviour both to human being and the society in general (Mathieu, 2006). The field of criminology has drawn research of psychologists, sociologists, social anthropologists, psychiatrists, and writings in law. Generally, research areas in criminology encompass the forms, incidence, causes and the impacts of crime. Furthermore, the governmental and social regulations and responses to criminal behaviours also form a part of the research area (Reiner, 2007). Crime and capital punishments are topics in criminology which form the legal part of the subject. The question as to whether crimes are deterred by capital punishment has gained interest among various researchers who have investigated in the area and offered their different views. Some of these researchers argue that, capital punishments usually deter criminal behaviours whereas the opponents argue that, this is just like any other form of punishment and it does not have a deterrence capacity. Capital punishment is defined as a death punishment for persons who commit serious crimes (Mathieu, 2006). Research has indicated that, practicing capital punishment will not offer more security to our lives. Opponents argue that there is no credible proof that capital punishment discourages crimes more effectively compared to other punishments such as long-term imprisonment. Countries which have capital punishment laws such as the United States, China and Iran have not recorded decreased murder or crime rates compared to other states which lack such laws. Furthermore, countries which have put an end to capital punishments have not indicated any significant modifications in crimes (The American Civil Liberties Union, 2007). To deter crime, they argue, the punishment should be administered speedily in order to make certain that the prospective criminals see clearly the cause-and-effect linkage between the punishment and the crime. A social science research revealed that capital punishment has no deterrent impact. The claims that every execution limits a particular number of crimes have been comprehensively discredited. This research indicated that most criminals commit crimes due to passion, if they are mentally sick or if they are under drug influence without considering the consequences of their behaviours (The American Civil Liberties Union, 2007). Opponents of death penalty argue that the practice of capital punishment is the nastiest violation of human rights (The American Civil Liberties Union, 2007). They base their argument on the fact that the right to life is very significant to individuals and no person has the right to take away another person’s life. They argue that by practicing capital punishments, the judicial system can also be deemed to be committing murder. Opponents argue that, there are other better and moral ways of punishing criminals and in the long-run; they can assist in deterring crimes better than capital punishment. Research on capital punishment deterrent effect began in the 1970s. The supporters of capital punishment argue that capital punishment has a deterrent capacity, (Shepherd, 2004). Current studies have revealed that capital punishment actually saves lives. Several studies over the years have been carried out. These studies were based on two approaches which include comparing homicide rates in states in nations before and after the introduction of death punishment as well as comparing the rates of homicide in nations with or without capital punishment, (Shepherd, 2004). The studies revealed a relationship between decrease in crime rates and capital punishments. A panel data which was set forth on over three thousand counties between 1977 and 1996 revealed that, on average, each capital punishment results to eighteen fewer murder crimes (Muhlhausen, 2007). In America, capital punishment is supported on the grounds that it offers a deterrent effect that assists saving lives. Besides, capital punishment proponents argue that social science is not in a position to determine capital punishment effectiveness due to the fact that the data is incomplete and rough and also due to the fact that social science a theory which is sufficient enough to interpret the data, (Muhlhausen, 2007). Studies have revealed that the arguments based on common sense are sufficient enough to prove the effectiveness of capital punishment. One of the major arguments to support the deterrent effect of death penalty is based on the common sense idea that most people fear death more than anything else. According to studies what is feared most deters most. Therefore once in prison, generally all the prisoners seek to evade execution by aiming to minimize their sentence to life in prison, (Shepherd, 2004). As a result, they believe that the fear of death is the major factor which will deter person from committing criminal behaviours. This may be influenced by the fact that death is final but where there is life there is hope (Haag, 1983). Other punishments such as life sentences are deemed to be less deterrent compared to capital punishment. Therefore, criminals must be executed as far as this execution assists in protecting citizens from the impacts of these crimes. The proponents also argue that when the execution is not carried out within a reasonable time after the sentence, the effects of the death sentence become diluted. According to the proponents, justice necessitates that the guilty be punished and the innocent be spared. In addition, morally justice is always preferred to equality, (Muhlhausen, 2007). In practice therefore, penalties could never be applied if we insisted that they can be inflicted on only a guilty person unless we are able to make sure that they are equally applied to all other guilty persons, (Muhlhausen, 2007). According to studies, killing a person with premeditation is like doing something different from stealing from them. The proponents argue that they are in favour of the death penalty as a matter of justice as well as human dignity even apart from deterrence.  In addition they state that the penalty must be appropriate to the seriousness of the crime, (Shepherd, 2004). The supporters of the death penalty also argue that capital punishment is morally justifiable if applied in murder particularly with exasperating elements for instance multiple torture murder, child murder as well as mass killing for example genocide or terrorism, (Shepherd, 2004). According to some proponents, not applying the capital punishment to the above mentioned crimes is patently unjust. This argument is supported by Robert Blecker who says that the punishment should be directly proportional to the crime, (Shepherd, 2004). Therefore according to the supporters, it is quite unjust for the offenders to stay alive, even incarcerated, (Muhlhausen, 2007). The question of whether or not capital punishment deters crime generally rotates around the statistical analysis. Many studies have been carried out and they have generated disputed outcomes with disputed importance. Some studies have demonstrated a positive linkage between capital punishment and crimes whilst others argue that the relationship does not mean causation. Individuals’ stance in this question will only depend with the amount of information obtained and the credibility of such information. It is apparent that, persons will always have different views on different issues and this is not an exception. Specifics of the study This research will gather data on personal opinions from correctional officers, and from family and friends whose relative have been victims of capital punishment on the effectiveness of the same in deterring criminal behaviour. The research will assume that the potential for criminal behaviour is evenly distributed in the society. The sample will be selected from the general population, correctional officers, and incarcerated prisoners from Australia correctional facilities. Attempts will be made to assess respondents who have close relatives and friends who have undergone capital punishment. The sample from the correctional facility will also attempt to interview respondents on capital punishment. Such an inclusive sample will strengthen the validity of the results findings and offer a wider response. The sample will be chosen randomly. The participants will be expected to offer credible information that will be used for data analysis. However, the research quality, reliability and validity will be affected greatly if the chosen participants are not willing to offer information or if they provide incredible information. Furthermore, the opinion and responses of the already incarcerated individuals might be biased resulting into biased results. Rationale The knowledge gap that exists for the researcher is that it is not clear whether capital punishment deters crime or not. This is due to the fact that the existing literature both the supporting as well as proposing gives valid justifications on the topic. Therefore the researcher aims at investigating the effects of capital punishment among criminals, exploring the levels of crime rates with and without capital punishment as well as investigating the reasons why offenders commit crime. This research will give the researcher adequate information regarding the research topic to enhance his or her understanding. As a result he will be able to deduce a conclusion and make desired recommendations. Significance and innovation Through the use of primary data, the researcher will further contribute to the existing literature on capital punishment. The primary data collected will be analyzed using statistical methods and sued to make conclusions and inferences. Such conclusions and inferences will be compared with past research and existing literature on the subject. The findings will be of great significant to various individuals and institutions. For instance, the findings may be relevant to persons involved in crimes and to the legal systems. Generally, this is an important issue being addressed by this research as in the current society; people are involved in serious crimes, which result to capital punishment. Usually, most criminals modify their behaviours; however, there are some who criminal behaviours are not deterred by capital punishment (The American Civil Liberties Union, 2007). The anticipated outcomes of this research will advance my understanding in the area of crime and capital punishment. Furthermore, the research will offer me a greater knowledge of what needs to be done in the legal system in order to reduce the level of crimes in the current society. Limitations of the study The researcher expects to encounter the following limitations when carrying out the project. Confidentiality It may be difficult to obtain some information from the foundation due to the policies protecting it. The information provided may be cited on confidentiality not providing all the desired information for the study. Suspicion Some of the respondents may be suspicious of the intentions of the researcher. Furthermore, some respondents hesitate to participate in the study because of fear of being reprimanded for revealing information to the researcher. Addressing ethics and objectivity Given the political sensitivity of the matter, respondents identity should be withheld (Firebaugh, 2008). As a result, this puts forth various ethical questions concerning the linkage between the subject/participants, the researcher, and privacy concerns among others (Denscombe, 2010). In this research, the intended part of the sample is incarcerated criminals. Permission must be sought from the correctional facilities and other legal entities in order to involve the chosen 5 incarcerated offenders and five correctional officers in the study. The correctional facilities will organize and authorize the intended participation of the correctional offenders. The correctional offenders will be issued with questionnaires which they will be expected to fill. Other ethical issues in social research may include breach of confidentiality, misleading the participants regarding the aim of the research, invasion of privacy, psychological difficulties which may affect the participants, and collective risks (Firebaugh, 2008). All of these ethical issues are pertinent in our research topic. The question as to whether or not capital punishment deters crime is a real issue which takes place in everyday life. It may be true that some of the chosen participants may be victims of crime or are criminals themselves. As a result, the researcher should take precaution and take initiative of explaining to the participants as clearly as possible the purpose of the research and assure privacy. Design and Methodology Research has revealed that, research designs generally deals with the following: questions to be studied, relevant data, type of data to be collected, and methods of analyzing such data (Adèr et al, 2008; Bryman, 2008). Depending with our research question, we will employ the qualitative/flexible research design in this research. This is based on the fact that perception differs with the person and what we know changes with time. This research will employ primary methods of data collection. Primary sources of data collection will involve the use of interviews and questionnaires (Crotty, 1998; Grix, 2004; Denscombe, 2010). The questionnaires will contain a number of predetermined questions. Interviews will be accomplished by visiting some Australian correctional facilities. The correctional officers will be interviewed whilst the incarcerated offenders will be issued with questionnaires in order to obtain their views on the research topics. Five correctional officers and five incarcerated offenders will be chosen randomly. The size of these respondents is limited by the data collection method given that interviews take time to organize and given that the offenders are involved, security might be a concern. The correctional officers could offer credible information as they have the statistics of the crimes committed in a certain period. Incarcerated offenders have faced the law and offer a different viewpoint on the subject. Questionnaires will also be issued to persons chosen randomly from the larger population being studied. The respondents will be chosen randomly from Australia using a local directory. The targeted sample size for this particular group is 150 respondents (75 males, 75 females). Explaining purpose of research and consent for participation will first be obtained through phone calls after approval. Questionnaires will be sent out to the respondents. Both the interviews and the questionnaires will use structured closed questions. Interviews will be recorded on tape for reference purposes. It is expected that not all questionnaires will be filled out or returned. Only returned and fully and well filled out questionnaires will be used. This will be helpful in analyzing the data and creating consistency in the data collected. Result will be tallied and presented in bar charts and percentages. Philosophical and epistemological underpinnings In this case, the philosophical and epistemology underpinnings will form the basis of the research question. In order to carry out a precise and clear research, it is important for the researchers to understand clearly the philosophical underpinnings which inform their selection of research question, aims, methods and methodology (Grix, 2004). Epistemological underpinnings guide us on tackling the research question. It is apparent that crime growth has been on the increase in the contemporary society. Due to this, the researcher aims at investigating the field of crime to acquire credible information to determine whether or not capital punishment deters crime. Information will be obtained through the use of primary sources of data collection which will encompass the use of interviews and questionnaires. It is apparent that the consideration of epistemology will assist in obtaining reliable and valid information which will offer credible findings after data analysis (Grix, 2004). Scope of study The study will be carried out at Beechworth Correctional Center. This is a minimum security prison located in 494 Flat Rock Road, Beechworth, Victoria, Australia. The facility focuses on compensation and pre-release actions which are aimed at assisting prisoners reintegrate into the society after their release. The five correctional officers and the five incarcerated criminals will be chosen randomly from the prison. The prisoners will be issued with the questionnaires whilst the correctional officers will be directly interviewed. The other questionnaires will be issued to the neighborhood populations. Google map Timeline of the research (Gantt chart) Activity Wk 1 wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Responsibility Research familiarization Δ▬▼ Research team Population and sample identification Δ▬▬▬▼ Research team Questionnaire formulation Δ▬▬▼ Research team Sampling (sample selection) Δ▬▬▼ Research team Data collection Δ▬▼ Research team Data analysis Δ▬▬▼ Research team Data interpretation Δ▬▼ Research team Report preparation Δ▬▼ Research team References Adèr, H. J., Mellenbergh, G. J., and Hand, D. J. 2008, Advising on research methods: a consultant's companion. Huizen, Johannes van Kessel Publishing Crotty, M. 1998. The foundations of social research. London, Sage Publications. David B. Muhlhausen, June 27, 2007, testimony delivered before the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Property Rights of the US Senate Judiciary Committee. Ernest Van Den Haag, Oct. 17, 1983 New York Times Op-Ed article: "For the Death Penalty. Firebaugh, G, 2008, Seven Rules for Social Research, Princeton University Press. Grix, J. 2004. The foundations of research. London, Palgrave Macmillan. Mathieu, D, 2006, Sociological Theory and Criminological Research: Views from Europe and the United States. London, Elsevier. Reiner, R, 2007, Law and Order, Cambridge, Polity. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Apr. 9, 2007, "The Death Penalty: Questions and Answers. Bryman, A 2008, Social research methods, 3rd edn, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Denscombe, M 2010, Ground rules for social research: guidelines for good practice, 2nd edn, Open University Press/McGraw-Hill, Maidenhead, UK. Shepherd, J. M, 2004, Capital Punishment and the Deterrence of Crime (Written Testimony for the House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, Read More