1. 19 February 2009
Hello teacher and fellow classmates, my name is William Graham, please feel free to simply call me “Will”
I am new to this career having never worked in corrections or law enforcement but I did grow up in the Bronx so I
have seen my share of crime and law enforcement officials.
Currently, I live in Atlanta GA where I relocated from Riverside CA. Before moving to Georgia I worked for The
Gillette Company, a consumer good company regionally based in Brea, California, as a Retail Sales
Representative and Territory Sales manager for 7 years.
During my time with Gillette I earned my M.B.A. in Executive Management, a field I thought, at the time would
quench my thirst for higher education. I also thought it would propel me up the corporate tree at Gillette.
Unfortunately, at Gillette my destination was never reached. However I do not regret my attainment of my
M.B.A. I still feel I have a bit of learning to do in my lifetime. At the age of 39 I feel like a career change is
appropriate.
Shortly after me my wife and our 3 children moved to Atlanta, I started taking direct sales jobs which involved
quotas, sales attainment and commissions earned on productivity. I had to learn a unique set of skills in Sales. I
became proficient at selling company products to businesses, understanding consumer behavior, listening to
buyer’s objections in an effort to become a top sales rep. I can truthfully say that over the last 9 years I have
become a top sales person for several companies. However sometime ago I lost my passion for business and
selling but I never lost my passion for people and how and why they do what they do.
Like most people I enjoy watching TV shows like CSI, Law & Order and Without a Trace that help stop crime so
the science of criminology is very interesting to me. However, to pursue and education to discover why people
are criminals and how a system can be implemented to create solutions to prevent it is equally fascinating.
I believe this course “Criminal Justice Research is beneficial to anyone wishing to study criminal justice because
an understanding of how criminal research is obtained is vital in deterring it in individuals and and providing
justice to its victims.
I would like to learn more about Criminal Justice through the interaction with my teacher and other classmates. I
am especially interested in pursuing a Master’s of Science degree in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in
Homeland Security. I believe this nation is heading rapidly towards Homeland Security and I want to be where
most of the opportunities are to advance in this area.
I agree with the author that knowledge is cumulative. As mentioned earlier I have a thirst for knowledge and a
MS degree in Criminal Justice is what I intend to earn after completing this University’s requirements.
I look forward to learning more about this subject of Criminal Justice Research. This book can teach me methods
on how to better understand people who commit crime and the procedures implemented to deter it. This is my
first online course.

2. I took the assessment test as part of the assignment for B and missed one question on
Attitudinal studies. I understood that it is important because the researcher needs to know what people think
about a situation but it also helps us know what they want and think about an institution and certain agenda
items. Equally important is that this study helps the researcher understand a criminal's thought process.
William Graham
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