Exercise I
Exercise I Problem: For those of you who have taken a course in Corrections, you are probably somewhat aware of the so-called collateral consequences of incarceration – i.e., the costs that go beyond an offender’s direct experience of punishment (e.g., incarceration). A recent executive summary from the Pew Center (Western & Pettit, 2010) documents that one of those presumed collateral consequences of incarceration is long-term economic prospects in the labor market, and social mobility. It is positioned that the incarceration stint is a long-term barrier for those offenders (95%) that are returning to society. As a student of criminal justice and corrections, you decide to test this assumption by using one of the more relevant longitudinal data sets in the field of criminology and the social sciences: The National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY). The NLSY data, collected by researchers at THE Ohio State University since its inception in 1979, represents longitudinal data beginning in 1979 (cohort I) and again in 1997 (Cohort II) specifically examines the long-term labor market consequences of experiences during adolescence and young adulthood. In particular, the NLSY connects data from experiences such as age of first offense/arrest, incarceration, school dropout, to long-term earning potential in the labor market. You have recently acquired a version of the 1997 NLSY data that follows this sample from adolescence (aged 12-17 at time of initial survey) into young adulthood in 2011. Using this data, students will be able to test the assumption that the experience of incarceration has long-term ramifications for an individual’s earning potential and social mobility. The data set – NLSY for Corrections – is ATTACHED! Instructions: You wish to test the basic assumption that the experience of ever being incarcerated has an impact on one’s current income. In other words, do those who have ever been incarcerated earn more income, less income – or is there any difference at all. To answer this question, you will be using two variables within the NLSY. The first variable, Incarceration_Prevalence_Dummy is a dummy variable that taps into the lifetime prevalence of incarceration during one’s lifetime (0 = “Never”, 1 = “Yes”. The second variable, Personal Income ranges from zero to infinity. In particular, you are testing the null hypothesis that the mean level of income for those who have been incarcerated will be THE SAME as those that have not been incarcerated – i.e., the mean difference between these groups will be insignificant. Hint: You are using two variables, so based on Chapter 8 in your SPSS text (23rd edition), you should be familiar with the proper analytical procedure to be employed here. After performing the relevant analysis, you are to answer the following questions: 1. What is the independent variable here – lifetime incarceration prevalence or current personal income? Dependent variable? 2. What is the level of measurement for the variable Incarceration_Prevalence_Dummy? a. Is this variable discrete or continuous? Why? 3. What is the level of measurement for the variable personal_income? a. Is this variable discrete or continuous? Why? 4. After performing the relevant analyses Read More …