This book of original essays presents students with challenging looks at some of the most basic, and sometimes most difficult, decisions faced by criminal justice researchers. Each chapter presents an overview of a foundational question/issue in the conduct of research, and discussions of the options to resolve these controversies.

• Whether you plan to be a researcher or a consumer of research, you need to understand the decisions researchers must make and the underlying issues.

• Discussion questions at the end of each chapter help spark thought, review and debate.