The Role of Qualitative Methods in Understanding Race, Ethnicity, and Justice in Criminology

• In Event: Interrogating the Meaning of “Rigorous” Research: How Qualitative Methods Are Essential to Criminological Understandings

Abstract

This paper explores the intersection of race/ethnicity and justice within criminological research, critically examining how conventional definitions of “rigor” limit our understanding of these issues. Traditional notions, often rooted in quantitative methods, overlook the nuanced ways in which race and ethnicity shape justice experiences. The paper highlights how qualitative methods challenge dominant narratives by offering deeper, context-rich insights into marginalized communities’ interactions with the criminal legal system. By centering lived experiences and subjective perspectives, these methods reveal the complexities of racial and ethnic disparities that quantitative approaches may fail to capture. Additionally, the paper addresses the persistent critique of qualitative methods as “subjective” or “anecdotal,” examining how this criticism has affected scholars’ engagement with qualitative research. This paper argues that such critiques have hindered the full integration of qualitative approaches into criminological scholarship, despite their ability to provide critical perspectives on issues of race/ethnicity, power, and justice. By reevaluating the role of qualitative methods, the author calls for a more inclusive, multidimensional understanding of rigor in criminology—one that better reflects the realities of inequality in the criminal legal system.

Author

• Jason M. Williams, Montclair State University