Crime on Wolfstead Park

Assessment 2: 4 part research proposal

Part 1

1. Problem Description

Mr. Gleeson has alerted local police to the delinquent youths at Wolfstead Park. He has stated that youths are gathering at night, fighting, drinking, using drugs and recently there have been homes burgled during the day.

1. Dependent Variable

Youth delinquency in Wolfstead Park

1. Cause of the Problem

Mr. Gleeson believes that the lack of lighting in Wolfstead Park provides an area for youths to engage in delinquent behaviour.

1. Independent Variable

Insufficient lighting

1. Type of Research Method (or Form of Evidence) Used by the Community Group

The community group has used the ‘After the Fact’ method of gathering evidence. The ‘After the Fact’ method is evidenced in the situation as research was not done until a problem arose.  It is a common method of investigation and though not entirely accurate can help to rule out causes.

1. Quality of the Evidence and Possible Alternative Causes

The community group had noted blood on the pavement, noise sounding like fights coming from the park and noisy youths possibly due to drugs or alcohol. He also noted that it was worse on the weekend rather than through the week and that houses were being burgled during the day. Inspector Allen stated that the council had also planted many trees and shrubs in the immediate area, making the park quite secluded and that a skate bowl was recently built in the park which could be attracting younger people. This was dismissed by Mr. Gleeson who had already decided that it was all to do with lighting, as when he had visited other well lit parks at night there were no problems.

The use of the After the Fact method is an inaccurate tool of measurement; it is however, helpful for ruling out other causes. Mr. Gleeson’s personal experience is not a complete picture as he has only recently moved to the area and cannot personally comment on how it was years before. He can proffer anecdotal evidence from neighbours saying that “things were better when …” although this is often said by previous generations about the days youth whether it is true or not.  Thus, personal experience is ranked as the lowest method of research with the after the fact method just above it.  

Part 2

1. Research Question

The Police and the City Council want to know if installing lights into Wolfstead Park will reduce the delinquent behaviour there.

1. Hypothesis

Installing lights into Wolfstead Park should lead to a reduction in youth delinquency.

1. Overview and Rationale of Proposed Research Method

Inspector Allen has proposed the use of the before and after method. The goal being to determine; if the use of lights will lead to a reduction in the activities at Wolfstead Park. The advantages are that it is one of the better tools of observation, as it can prove or disprove a suspected causation, and is more accurate than the initial after the fact method of observation that has been previously used. However, it is still error prone when using it only in a single case; this research method provides better evidence when used in multiple scenarios.