Introduction: Today's Learning Methodologies
Today’s learning methodologies in contrast to the earlier learning methods prove to be more of student-centered. Critiquing articles is one such methodology that enables the students to participate and indirectly engagement with authors from different disciplines of education. An audience is given the opportunity to share the authors’ thoughts, learn, and find out if there could have been an alternative way of successfully completing the same task. It also provides the opportunity to assess and evaluate whether or not the piece of literary work belongs to that field of knowledge of study. As such, this paper delves into critiquing the article “Short criminals: Stature and crime in early America” by Bodenhorn, Moehling, and Gregory (2012). The major goal is to provide a basic review of the article, establish the relation of the article to criminal justice, the articles drawbacks and benefits as well as the applicability inferences.
Analysis of the Bodenhorn, Moehling, and Gregory Article
In examining the Bodenhorn, Moehling, and Gregory (2012) article, the authors have adequately introduced the audience into what the study is all about, it is apparent that they have done an exemplary work as can be noted in the abstract and the introductory part. From the information presented in the abstract, an audience is able to know what the study investigated based on the specific research hypothesis which is derived from the research’s question on the topic. In addition, through a comprehensive literature review on the topic of issue, the target readers are able to identify the rationale and justification for the study. The language used is simply such that the audience is able to read, understand, and conceptualize the views that the authors intended pass across.
Connection Between Stature and Economic Earning
Consequently, it becomes clear that authors were after identifying the connection between stature and economic earning as well as criminality. The topic Short Criminals: Stature and Crime in Early America typically depicts that in the early American society, the stature of an individual contributed in determining the particular activities that people could better engage in. For instance, shorter people were highly associated with engaging in criminal activities creating an opportunity to enter penitentiary institutions at the early age. Comparatively, the taller people were connected to having higher opportunities of being absorbed into the job market. In sum, the authors inform the audience that taller people in the early American setting were less likely to engage in criminal activities since they had access to the job market.
Methodological Approach
Concerning the method that has been adopted for the study, there is no description of the framework adopted for the study design. Without a framework, it is not easy to tell which theories or relevant findings informed the approaches used. The conceptual frameworks for research studies are imperative in enabling the audience to simplify their thinking, clarifying issues, and connecting the presented ideologies and information to reference materials so as to ascertain their credibility, and determining the overall structure that has been applied.
Data Collection Methods and Sample Size
Despite not highlighting the study’s conceptual framework, the authors have adequately demonstrated and described the various approaches as well as techniques that were taken into consideration to facilitate the processes of data collection. However, it is not clear what sample size has been used. Instead, the authors have only informed the audience on the two penitentiaries from which data was collected. In particular, they quote relying on admission records of Pennsylvania’s Eastern State Penitentiary (Pennsylvania Department of Justice 1829–69) in Philadelphia and the Western State Penitentiary (Pennsylvania Department of Justice 1826–76) in Pittsburgh where at the time of admission, the clerks made records of the prisoners’ basic information. The problem with not disclosing the size of a sample used in a research is that the audience would not be able to tell whether it was sufficient for the desired study outcomes and whether the inferences can be applied the general public case scenarios.
Relation to Criminal Justice
The authors work fits into the field of criminal justice taking into consideration that there is a connection between criminal activities and the economic activities. For instance, it can be drawn from the study that there is a connection between law and economics. In particular, the stature of an individual as depicted in the Early American society influenced the likelihood of getting a job. The implication is that short people as the authors explain had limited opportunities in finding jobs since the society discriminated them based on the height while the taller people had high probabilities of accessing job opportunities. As such, they equivalently had no other alternative source of earning to afford their daily basic needs including food, shelter, and clothing, thus, resorted to criminal activities. In contrast, the majority of the taller people were absorbed into the job market during that period hence did not have to get into criminal activities. It is for this reason that it can be noted that very few of them were admitted into the penitentiaries. One can only infer that those who were admitted constitute that few who failed to access the job market.
Statistical Analysis and Tools
In addition, applying the Weibull-type model to test the linearity of the assumptions for the continuous variables is a connotation of the criminal justice approach where past experiences are used to conduct investigations of similar case scenarios. However, similarities must always be noted using comparative modeling depicted by the above-mentioned tool. As such, the results obtained in any criminal investigation task often are integral compared to what researchers expect in their research study. In all the cases, findings guide the logical reasoning for interpretations, inferences, and conclusions. The implication, therefore, is that in the event that wrong results are obtained in the processes of analyzing the collected data or finding, misleading conclusions and inferences might impair future judgments of a topic, a case, or a similar situation. Based on such concerns, it is imperative to examine whether or not the statistical tools that have been used to manipulate the data are justifiable. In this case, it is inferred that the authors applied correlation regression to conduct comparative analysis leading, thus, achieved the desired results.
Drawbacks and Benefits
The study like any other studies is not perfect and exhibits a certain level of drawbacks. First, the study does not inform the audience of the sample size it based its findings that resulted from the collected data. It is, thus, inferred that the study’s inferred its application is limited in scope. For instance, its findings cannot be the expectation of similar situation in the general public. Secondly, it should have informed the audience of the conceptual framework it adopted. Without the background information explain the framework as well as the design of the study, it becomes difficult to determine whether or not the consequent methods are appropriate for such particular study. Thirdly, the study should not have focused on only two correctional facilities.
On the other hand, the study has some benefits including, being able to prove to the target audience that there is a connection between law and economics. It also informs the audience that discrimination of one’s stature can lead to an increase of criminal activities among that particular group that is discriminated against. Moreover, it informs that target that is a high correlation of people with no economic activities being involved in criminal activities. Finally, if the same study were to be carried out again, it is suggested that the researchers consider using many correctional facilities to ensure that it uses an adequate sample size upon which the obtained results can be used to make generalizations. Secondly, the next study of the same kind should take into consideration informing the audience of the conceptual framework that is adopted so that the readers can learn from the applied theories.
Conclusion
In summary, the study has succeeded in informing the audience that stature in relation to crime in the early American society was highly connected. Short people were likely to be convicted of criminal acts because they had no job opportunities. The society besides having misinformed cognitive opinions denied them job opportunities as well. On the other hand, taller people who were thought to be more cognitive were given priorities. Thus, more short people were convicted of criminal acts compared to the taller people whom only a few who might have failed to get jobs or lost their jobs were convicted at the late adulthood. Most importantly, it is inferred that despite the stature, age has no relation to criminal activities.
Work Cited
Bodenhorn, Howard, Carolyn Moehling, and Gregory N. Price. "Short criminals: Stature and crime in early America." The Journal of Law and Economics 55.2 (2012): 393-419.
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