The Local Criminal Behavior of Military Officers - Research Proposal Example

?Running Head: Research Proposal Research Proposal Inserts His/her Introduction Military is considered an important pillar ion today’s conflict prone world. Arms forces of a country are considered extremely important for the survival of the country but they also pose certain risk to the very same society they are known to protect. Criminal activities of military officers are not new, and it is understandable. They receive many forms of physical and tactical training which can be used in criminal activities. This is why criminal element of military personnel is something to worry about. Another explanation of criminal activity of people of armed forces may be psychological in nature. These people come from areas which are affected by war and conflict. They sometimes suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder and this affects their behavior in daily life. Psychological problems and stress can often lead to criminal or anti social behaviors after they come home from wars. All the killing and gruesome scenes are sometimes troubling for individuals, and can lead to criminal behavior. These problems are not always made publically available because it gives a bad name to the armed forces. In 2006 nearly 3,000 sex crimes incidents related to US military personnel were reported (ABC News, 2008). Military crimes are not only limited to the local people of the hostile country. Armed forces are also known for hurting their own fellow men and women. Male-male sexual abuse is common in US military (Newsweek, 2011). Female soldiers in US army are more likely to be sexually abused by their male colleagues in the army than to be killed in battle itself (Newsweek, 2011). There are examples which suggest that criminal behavior and armed forces have a strong relationship. This is the subject that will be explored in the research. It will be examined whether police related incidents are higher in military personnel returning from war in comparison to military officials who are not deployed or not. The aim of the study is to find out whether police involved incidents are more common in military personnel who are from war fronts than in military officials who are never deployed or not. This study will give us a clearer idea about the local criminal behavior of military officers who were once deployed. Research Question The number of police involved incidents by military personnel may be related to the experiences of the officers when they are deployed in conflict areas in foreign lands. The study aims to determine whether these experiences give rise to the criminal behavior of the men of the armed forces. It is important to measure the police involved incidents in officers who are deployed and who are not deployed so that the effect of deployment can be independently measured. In order to measure the effect of deployment it is important to narrow done the research question. The research question is as follows. Q. What is the percentage of police involved incidents in the U.S. military deployed, within 90 days of returning to JBLM(Joint Base Lewis-McChord) and the percentage of soldier’s who have never deployed? Hypothesizes and Prediction The null hypothesis is that police involved incidents are more prevalent in US military officers within 90 days of returning to JBLM than soldiers that are never deployed. There is some proof of criminal behavior among the US soldiers (Newsweek, 2011). There can be many causes of the criminal behavior including psychological stress that comes along war. The effect of war will also be more visible in the first quarter after returning to the base itself. This is why a period of 90 days is set and criminal behavior will be measured within this period. The alternative hypothesis is that police involved incidents are not significantly large in US military officers within 90 days of returning to JBLM in comparison to the soldiers that are never deployed. Study Variables The main variable is the police involved incidents. We will be measuring the police involved incidents throughout the country. Military men of JBLM who were deployed are also a variable. We are aiming to study the affect of deployment on police involved incidents. Criminal activity or the police involved incidents will be measured against once deployed soldiers of JBLM. Another important variable is the criminal activity of soldiers who were never deployed in any war. These three main variables will be studied in order to assess the level of criminal activity contributed by deployment of the soldiers. Soldiers who are never deployed will be the control variable so that we can analyze whether there is a significant change in criminal activity of deployed soldiers or not. In order to measure the criminal effect of deployment, a time frame of 90 days is set. This is done because a soldier may commit crime because he or she wants to, so time frame is set to nullify the effect of personal disposition to crime. Again the aim is to study the effect of deployment on criminal behavior. Proposed Methods of Data Collection The only way to answer the research question is by conducting a secondary research with the help of law enforcement agencies. Police involved incidents of US soldiers will only be known to the local law enforcement agencies therefore they will be contacted and information will be collected from them. JBLM authorities can also prove helpful is determining the areas from which US soldiers reporting to them belong to. This will help in narrowing done the list geographical areas to be covered. Police involved incidents will be spread all over the country therefore extensive research would be required. First all military soldiers related cases will be searched that happened in the last 10 years. Then from these cases we will filter out those that happened after 90 days of returning to JBLM. This is an exploratory research where we are trying to find out criminal effect of deployment in soldiers. Secondary research is the only way through which we can find the answer of the research question. Interviews and surveys would help us understand the cause of criminal behavior in US soldiers who were deployed. But this is not the aim of the study. The aim of the study is to find the percentage of police involved incidents of US soldiers. This data is often kept confidential therefore not a lot of people will know about it. Only relevant law enforcement agencies like police stations and sheriff departments can help in finding criminal activity Ethical Considerations Ethical issues are very important in any kind of study. Ethics is extremely important in this study because data regarding military personnel is a matter of national security. The reputation of US armed forces can be tarnished if the raw data went into press. This is why confidentiality will have to be kept in this study at all cost. Individual criminal records are also not for everyone to see. These records can destroy social life of an individual who may be trying to move on with his or her life. Also US military institutions can take legal action for demeaning and defamation of their institution. These are all the possible threats of any leakages of the information. The data should be taken only for research purposes and names should not be given to anyone. Soldiers with any kind of criminal activity should not be pursued in any way. JBLM will also be informed beforehand about the study. This is to ensure that all ethical considerations are met and the relevant authorities are aware that a research of this sort is happening. Consent of JBLM authorities is extremely important before study can be conducted because the subject of the study is closely related to the officers of JBLM. References Brain Ross and the Investigation Team. (2008). In U.S. Military, Sex Crimes on the Rise? ABC News. Retrieved on August 27, 2011 from http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2008/02/in-us-military.html Ellison, Jesse. (2011). The Military's Secret Shame. Newsweek Magazine. Retrieved on August 27, 2011 from http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/04/03/the-military-s-secret-shame.html Read More