Future Criminal Investigations Research: Not Repeating Our Past Mistakes

• In Event: Presidential Thematic Session: The New Detective: Rethinking Criminal Investigations

Abstract

There is a resurgence of interest in studying criminal investigations, after over 30 years of limited interest. Though welcome, there is a high risk that new research will leave unchallenged a critical assumption of the earlier research. Old investigations research was based upon a cybernetic systems analogy that came out of military research and was adopted by urban planning (see J. Light 2003, From Warfare to Welfare). The researchers of the 1970s-80s assumed that marginal administrative improvements to investigations could increase crime solutions, and this would lead to crime reduction. This research seemed to show that gaining these marginal improvements was extremely difficult, so researchers never tested whether better investigations would reduce crime. In retrospect, this assumption should never have been left unexamined. It is quite likely that “the more solutions lead to less crime” assumption is false. Current research needs to critically examine this assumption. It should not replicate the mistakes of 30 years about by using solutions and arrests as the dependent variables. Researchers should consider abandoning studies of administrative tinkering to improve clearance rates. Instead, they should look at how better investigations practices can enhance justice or be used to drive crime prevention.

Author

• John E. Eck, University of Cincinnati