MYTHS, MISCONCEPTIONS, AND THE MISUSE OF STATISTICS IN CORRECTIONAL RESEARCH (FROM PROBATION, PAROLE, AND COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS. 2D ED., 1976 BY ROBERT M CARTER AND LESLIE T WILKINS - SEE NCJ-35412)

• NCJ Number: 35420
• Author(s): G P WALDO
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 10 pages
• Corporate Author: John Wiley and Sons
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

CORRECTIONAL RESEARCHERS HAVE, BY NEGLIGENCE, PERMITTED A NUMBER OF CORRECTIONAL MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS TO GO UNCHALLENGED AND A MISUSE OF STATISTICS TO APPEAR IN EVERYDAY CORRECTIONS LANGUAGE AND ANNUAL REPORTS.

Abstract

SOME OF THE MISCONCEPTIONS CITED ARE THAT SOME PROGRAMS ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR EVALUATION, THAT PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS CAN BE DETERMINED THROUGH 'INFORMAL' EVALUATIONS, AND THAT LOW RECIDIVISM PERCENTAGES INDICATE PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS. ALSO CONSIDERED ARE FEARS ABOUT THE USE OF RANDOM ASSIGNMENT, THE NECESSITY FOR EITHER-OR RESULTS, THE COST OF RESEARCH, AND THE SLOW GROWTH OF CORRECTIONAL KNOWLEDGE. THE MISUSES OF ELEMENTARY STATISTICAL TOOLS ENUMERATED INCLUDE MISLEADING USE OF THE 'AVERAGE' INMATE MEASURE, PURPOSEFULLY DISTORTED SAMPLING PROCEDURES, VAGUE STATEMENTS ABOUT THE 'AVAILABILITY' OF PROGRAMS, AND ASSUMPTIONS RELATING TO PROGRAM CORRELATION AND CAUSATION.