Criminal Justice Research

Guiding Questions

• What are the alternatives to incarceration? 
• What are the impacts and consequences of incarceration? 
• Why does the United States have such a high rate of incarceration? 
• Should the death penalty be applied to the most severe crimes? 
• Life after incarceration. 
• What is recidivism and why does it occur? 

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Databases:

• Gateway Library Databases Page 
  On this page, scroll alphabetically to either the "Criminal Justice" or the "Global Issues" database and enter your search in the search-bar.  Remember to try a variety of keywords if you don't find what you're looking for right away.  The "Global Issues" database will provide you with "viewpoints" on both sides of an issue, so this would be particularly useful when looking into the death penalty.

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Online Reliable Resources (curated by the Gateway Library):

• Criminal Justice Facts - The Sentencing Project - Use the search feature to dig-down.
  The Sentencing Project is a respected organization, but it has an Agenda (changing the way our justice system works).  The data is pulled from various state and federal sources and is reliable.  The interpretation of this data, however, is not "fact", but analysis and can be biased towards the specific goals of the organization.
   
• BOJS - Key Statistics
  Prison populations over time - data
   
• Death Penalty Information Center
  Focuses on issues and challenges presented by the death penalty.  Accurate statistics.
   
• Pro-Con . ORG - perspectives on various issues
   
• Brennan Center for Justice
  This site contains great articles and info on recidivism, mass incarceration, its effects on prisoners, their families, and their communities. 

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