Unemployment in Red Deer City Link to Criminal Activities in the City

Sociological Problems in Red Deer
Name
Institution of Affiliation
Date
Sociological Problems in Red Deer
Problem 1
With approximately 10,000 people Red Deer city is located in Central Alberta between Edmonton and Calgary. Queen Elizabeth II highway connects Red Deer city with Edmonton and Calgary. With this population Red Deer has been rated as the worst hit by crime in the Alberta crime index  (Wiebe & Bell, 2016). The 2016 report indicated that in the first half of 2016 property crime increased by 31.3 %, by recording 679 reported incidents in the first half of the year 2016. Notably the reported indicated that majority of these crimes were committed by criminals who had been caught in previous criminal acts  1033 (Robson, 2016). The issue of crime has been very prevalent in the city and this has made the city get ranked as the leading in crime in Alberta. However, why these crimes occur is a topic of interest for sociological research.
Hypothesis
H0: Unemployment in Red Deer City is a causing factor for increased criminal activities in Red Deer City.
H1: Punishment on criminals has not been effective in the correction of the criminal behavior as they go back to crime
Data Collection Process
To investigate the issue, first we need to find data on the rate of crimes that have been committed in the Red Deer city. To achieve this effectively a mixed approach will be employed. The data can be obtained from the police departments who keep the records of crimes that are committed in the city (Quantitative). Secondly, the other important information source is to interview the people who have been convicted of crimes in prison and those in reforms and rehabilitation centers (Qualitative). These people will be very crucial in informing the reasons behind their criminal activities.
Analysis
To analyze the two sets of data we need to separate and analyze them separately. The quantitative data can be analyzed using the standardized tools such as the SPSS in order to find the severity of the problem under investigation and the level at which crimes and criminals are recurring in their actions. To analyze the qualitative data, descriptive analysis will be necessary in understanding what those in the rehabilitation centers have to say and what the general publics have to say in the interviews. This analysis will focus on the presence of patterns in the descriptions in order to understand how often similar criminal activities are reported and the reasons for them as by the interviewees.
Results
The results will be presented in charts and tables. The quantitative analyzed data will be presented in the charts in order to indicate the severity of the problem and the nature of the problem of crime. Tables will be necessary in presenting the findings of the interviews by dividing these findings in different categories and the number of people who gave similar responses in each category of question.
Conclusion
The conclusions of the study will be based on the findings of the research. In the conclusion, it should be indicated very clearly whether the h...