Criminal Justice Dissertation Ideas

[sanantone]

I need to get going on a dissertation proposal this summer, but I've been cycling through a lot of ideas. I'm trying to find something that hasn't been done before and will add some valuable knowledge to the field. Has anyone seen any interesting criminal justice problems that need investigating and won't cost a ton of money to research?

[KayV]

My first thought was to look for CFPs in Criminal Justice as a starting point, with the hope that a CFP would merge with your research interests or coursework. There is a general master list here, of course:
https://www.asc41.com/cfp.html

But really, I had special issues of journals, hot conference proposals, etc., in my head. This sort of thing:
https://cjrc.osu.edu/newsletter/au15/opportunities
or even
Call for Papers — Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice

You could also look at the proceedings of annual conferences in your field for the past few years to see if you could eke out a topic with ready-made references. Even if a topic has previously been discussed, your goal would be to address an issue arising from their work in your own.

Oh, and if you are planning to go into academia, obviously, it would be a bonus if your dissertation chapters coincided with a series of potential journal submissions.

[jsd]

Wait, you mean you're going to pass on this???

Well...

there's a thesis if ever I saw one... We are a nation of law, should we be a nation of ethics?

[dfrecore]

Not sure if this is "CJ" related, but it's something I question. As more and more municipalities have budget shortfalls, how many use the police to make up that shortfall, with more and more fines and fees for things? For instance, getting a ticket here in CA will run you a couple hundred bucks for the actual "crime." But then, with the "court paperwork fee" and the "we used our cop car so now you owe him 15 minutes for his time and $3 for gas fee", the price doubles or even triples, to somewhere between $600-$1000. It's beyond ridiculous.

This has been getting worse and worse over the years, but it did also come out in Ferguson. Many poor and minority communities feel that they are singled out - people who have lots of money can just pay the fee, but people who don't are just crushed by the costs.

Just a thought. Not sure if it's what you're looking for, but an interesting topic: what percentage of budget comes from fees/fines, and what percentage was it 20 or 40 or 60 years ago?

Good luck with your dissertation!

[LaterBloomer]

Hmm. Are there states like Virginia where the value where theft becomes a felony is rather low? (In Virginia, it's $250.) Maybe something about the cost of those felonies versus the costs if the value were raised. Maybe something about the return to (what I call) rational sentencing. Putting kids and adults in prison and throwing away the keys for their crimes got out of hand in the 1990s. I think that the tide is turning. Maybe that topic.

As I have NO clue as to what one does with a dissertation, I apologize if my suggestions are ignorant and lame, but they're subjects of interest to me.

Good luck.

[sanantone]

My first thought was to look for CFPs in Criminal Justice as a starting point, with the hope that a CFP would merge with your research interests or coursework. There is a general master list here, of course:
https://www.asc41.com/cfp.html

But really, I had special issues of journals, hot conference proposals, etc., in my head. This sort of thing:
https://cjrc.osu.edu/newsletter/au15/opportunities
or even
Call for Papers — Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice

You could also look at the proceedings of annual conferences in your field for the past few years to see if you could eke out a topic with ready-made references. Even if a topic has previously been discussed, your goal would be to address an issue arising from their work in your own.

Oh, and if you are planning to go into academia, obviously, it would be a bonus if your dissertation chapters coincided with a series of potential journal submissions.

Looking at calls for papers is a good idea. Thank you.

Wait, you mean you're going to pass on this???

That would be good for a bachelor's or master's thesis, but isn't likely to be approved for a dissertation.

Not sure if this is "CJ" related, but it's something I question. As more and more municipalities have budget shortfalls, how many use the police to make up that shortfall, with more and more fines and fees for things? For instance, getting a ticket here in CA will run you a couple hundred bucks for the actual "crime." But then, with the "court paperwork fee" and the "we used our cop car so now you owe him 15 minutes for his time and $3 for gas fee", the price doubles or even triples, to somewhere between $600-$1000. It's beyond ridiculous.

This has been getting worse and worse over the years, but it did also come out in Ferguson. Many poor and minority communities feel that they are singled out - people who have lots of money can just pay the fee, but people who don't are just crushed by the costs.

Just a thought. Not sure if it's what you're looking for, but an interesting topic: what percentage of budget comes from fees/fines, and what percentage was it 20 or 40 or 60 years ago?

Good luck with your dissertation!

That's a good idea. Thank you.

Hmm. Are there states like Virginia where the value where theft becomes a felony is rather low? (In Virginia, it's $250.) Maybe something about the cost of those felonies versus the costs if the value were raised. Maybe something about the return to (what I call) rational sentencing. Putting kids and adults in prison and throwing away the keys for their crimes got out of hand in the 1990s. I think that the tide is turning. Maybe that topic.

As I have NO clue as to what one does with a dissertation, I apologize if my suggestions are ignorant and lame, but they're subjects of interest to me.

Good luck.

Thank you. One could probably look at the cost of incarceration and see if there was any improvement on recidivism when the sentences were made harsher.

[jsd]

That would be good for a bachelor's or master's thesis, but isn't likely to be approved for a dissertation.

I'm not convinced this is really even a bachelor's thesis, but what do I know about that? I'm close to panic attacks coming up with my own potential bachelor's thesis.

[Daithi]

How about something that combines your personal experience in acquiring a degree through distance learning programs and similar options available to prisoners? There is a perception that many prisoners are acquiring degrees while in prison at tax payer expense. However in 1994 a law was passed that barred prisoners from receiving Pell Grants. I'm sure there are lots of questions that arise from this policy that your dissertation could address. You also might have some of your research provided by either UC Davis or Patten University. A program was started by a professor at UC Davis and supported by Patten College. I believe this was before Patten became a for-profit university, but the for-profit Patten University is still the major college providing services to the Prison University Project (PUP).

[sanantone]

How about something that combines your personal experience in acquiring a degree through distance learning programs and similar options available to prisoners? There is a perception that many prisoners are acquiring degrees while in prison at tax payer expense. However in 1994 a law was passed that barred prisoners from receiving Pell Grants. I'm sure there are lots of questions that arise from this policy that your dissertation could address. You also might have some of your research provided by either UC Davis or Patten University. A program was started by a professor at UC Davis and supported by Patten College. I believe this was before Patten became a for-profit university, but the for-profit Patten University is still the major college providing services to the Prison University Project (PUP).

That is interesting. I always wonder how my clients are going to pay for college when they say they are going to go. They are being released, but the ones with drug convictions do not qualify for federal financial aid. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice offers a lot of trade programs and covers the cost of college tuition at some units. I wonder how much all of that costs in comparison to the Pell Grant.

[Mamasaphire]

That is interesting. I always wonder how my clients are going to pay for college when they say they are going to go. They are being released, but the ones with drug convictions do not qualify for federal financial aid. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice offers a lot of trade programs and covers the cost of college tuition at some units. I wonder how much all of that costs in comparison to the Pell Grant.

At the local CC I take classes at I have been in a few classes with some ex-cons and others who claim to be recovering addicts (or don't even claim to be recovering) who seem to be getting Pell Grant money. Do they not have to be honest on the Pell Grant application, or are there different rules in different states?