CQUniversity Unit Profile.

For this assignment you will be presented with two hypothetical justice scenarios. The scenarios each consist of a community that can be researched using the ethnography method. You must choose ONE of the scenarios and design an ethnographic research study based around that community.

Ethnography is a methodology concerned with gaining a deep understanding of a specific cultural or social group. It usually incorporates a type of observation along with other methods of data collection, with the aim of maximising a diverse set of understandings. The researcher completely immerses themselves in the social or cultural group they are studying and spend a prolonged period of time with them doing the things that they do, for example things like working, eating, socialising, organising events, attending meetings/events etc. The researcher takes part in the daily lives of the participants, either overtly or covertly, for an extended period of time. During this process they

• Observe what happens as it happens

• Listen to what is said

• Ask questions

• Collect other available data

Involvement with the group can be overt or covert, so in some ethnographies the group are aware that the individual is a researcher with an interest in a particular phenomenon but sometimes the group believe that the research is simply another individual who is a member of their group and they do not know that they are participants in an ethnographic study.

Ethnographic studies usually consist of a participant observation and at least one other method of qualitative data collection. Your study must use a type of participant observation, the choice of which one is up to you, and a second method of collecting data for your study (e.g. interviews, photovoice), again the choice is yours. All methods must be qualitative in nature

Your assessment should include:

· A research question that your study aims to address.

· An outline of the research design, including the period of time the ethnography will run for.

· A discussion and justification of the type of participant observation you have selected.

· A discussion and justification of the other method of data collection you have selected.

· A description of how the data will be collected e.g. field notes at the time/retrospectively.

· An overview of the ethical issues arising from the study.

Below you will find two hypothetical justice scenarios, you must choose one of these settings on which to base your ethnographic study. You can use as much or as little detail from the scenario as suits your study.

Hypothetical scenario 1:

You have been granted access to conduct research at the Alice Springs Youth Detention Centre in the Northern Territory for a period of 8 months. The centre houses around 50 young people aged between 10-17 years old, across genders with a typical 1-3 ratio of girls and boys, and the majority of young people detained there are Aboriginal. The centre houses young people who are in custody on remand (i.e. awaiting trial without bail) and those who have been sentenced. At the time of your research around 80% of the young people at the centre will be on remand. Generally, around 1/3 of sentenced young people have committed a breach of bail, a third are sentenced for property crime, and a third for person-related crime. Two thirds of young people at the centre were repeat admissions.

The centre runs a number of formal education and work-ready programs, though engagement with these is limited. Education sessions run for 45 minutes three times a day and engagement is not compulsory. There is currently no visiting Elders program at the centre. Some psychological support programs were available, focusing on issues such as anger management and behaviour change however, there is no provision for young people with complex needs. Evening lock up is early and occurs every day at 6.30pm, visiting times are Monday – Friday 3pm-5pm and weekends 4-5pm.

References:

Diagrama Foundation. A blueprint for change: Adapting the lessons of the Spanish Youth Justice System to the Northern Territory Report of Diagrama visit. October 2019.

Youth Detention Census. (2021). Northern territory Government. https://tfhc.nt.gov.au/youth-justice/youth-detention-census

Hypothetical scenario 2:

You have been working to gain access to a group of young people who are involved in anti-social behaviour involving a motor vehicle. This involves driving recklessly, speeding, street racing, burn outs, and playing loud music from their vehicle. Informally this is known as hooning. The group of young people mainly consist of young, white men aged 16-24, although there are also a few young women of the same age who are usually the girlfriends of the men. The group meets regularly, during the week and weekends, to get together, socialise, and take part in hooning along public and private roads. The cars are usually modified and lots of money is spent to try to have the ‘best car’. The driving is nearly always done by the men, and many have criminal records for minor offences. The women are sometimes passengers, occasionally drivers, and the girlfriends often wait together on the street during the races.

Members of the group have been complaining recently because more police, and therefore media and political, attention has been devoted to ‘cracking down’ on this type of ant-social behaviour. As a result, there are more police patrols, and one member of their group was recently arrested and charged with careless driving after the media filmed one of the street races and he was identified. He had his car impounded and is awaiting a court date. The group is making contact with other hoons to find new places to use where there is less police presence.

References:

Hooning (n.d). Queensland Government. https://www.qld.gov.au/law/crime-and-police/types-of-crime/hooning

Armstrong, K. & Steinhardt, D. (2006). Understanding street racing and 'hoon' culture: An exploratory investigation of perceptions and experiences. Journal of the Australasian College of Road Safety, 17(1), pp. 38-44.

Submission guidelines

There is no need to copy & paste the scenario into the assessment, simply refer to ‘scenario 1’ or ‘scenario 2’ somewhere obvious (e.g. in the title).

Ensure all references are cited correctly using APA 7th edition guidelines, which can be found here. Consider using references for the methods you will be using, along with the topic you have chosen. Lecture notes should not be used as part of the reference list, instead students should find the original source/author. Remember to avoid non-scholarly sources such as dictionaries and Wikipedia.

Use 11 or 12 point font size, a sensible font, and 1.5 or double line spacing.

Submission is via Moodle.

Generative AI use:

Level of GenAI use allowed:  Level 2:  You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. 

Good luck!