Qual Data Collection

Racial profiling is a problem in the criminal justice world. A USA Today analysis of FBI arrest data found that 1,581 other U.S. police departments arrest Blacks at rates even higher than Ferguson. The study—which gathered data voluntarily reported to the FBI from 2011–2012, tracked by race (excluding Latinos)— found that 70 departments from Connecticut to California arrest Blacks at a rate 10 times more than people of other races (Persico, N., & Castleman, D. A. 2015). The rights of citizens are being violated and this is an issue which needs to be dealt with.   Such research questions like “please explain what racial profiling is”, “how do you think racial profiling can be prevented”, and a questions specifically for law enforcement like “what influence does race have on your interaction with an individual during an encounter” are all questions that can be used to better understand the phenomena of racial profiling.
A key advantage of conducting observations is that you personally get to see what people do and not what they say they do. Sometimes people exaggerate or even lie about what they may do in a situation. This allows for observation without any hindrance or disruption.. Observations also are made in real life settings which allow for meaning and context to be accessed more freely. There are numerous scenarios in the world of criminal justice, and related disciplines, where approaching people for a questionnaire or interview may possibly scare the individual into not talking or possibly even make people upset not bringing positive results. Observations allow for a less direct approach which could help bring out more information. Such things like questionnaires limit people responses not allowing for an in-depth view or explanation for ones actions to be uncovered.