Criminal justice pioneers: A content analysis of biographical data

This study used relational content analysis to assess the relative importance of criminal justice pioneers (N = 44) as identified by Jones (2005). Comparisons were made in terms of race, gender, area of focus, level of education, era of birth, longevity, and the amount of space (i.e., pages) devoted to each biography. The results were threefold: (1) most of the designated pioneers were born between 1901 and 1950 where a significant number contributed in the area of law enforcement, (2) all women pioneers were Caucasian and outnumbered African American pioneers by more than more than a 2:1 ratio, and (3) men were ten times more likely than women to be regarded as pioneers. The implications of these findings are discussed regarding the perceived relative importance of certain personalities based on the amount of space devoted to their bibliography.