For my I-Search paper I chose the question, “Do we make choices in life based upon free will or are we pressured by society into making the choices that we make?” I chose this question because it is a very important question to me. It is important for me to answer this question because I am a criminal justice major and a future police officer. We have a huge problem with crime in
America and if we do not know where crime stems from, we will not know how to properly address it. If we cannot figure out what makes people commit crimes, we will never be able to solve the crime epidemic that we face. Also, as a child and in my past jobs as a security officer and a loss prevention officer, I have seen a lot of bad things happen to good people. I have also seen some people do some pretty bad things. I have seen people steal who don’t need to steal. They just did it for the thrill of it. What makes people steal just for the fun of it?  

After reading my paper, I want readers to understand that there are many different factors that cause people to commit crime. However, the main reason people commit crimes is because they freely choose to do so. I don’t believe that there is any unseen force that forces people to commit crimes or do anything else in life. I think that people need to understand that the choices that they make in life can be both rewarding and devastating. Although people may be more prone to crime because of their living conditions and income, they do not have to commit crimes.  

I believe that my readers will be very interested to learn that many different people have many different beliefs on what makes people do the things they do. There are some people who believe that God is the ultimate decision maker in our lives and that He is the reason that we do everything. There are some people who believe that God is the ultimate reason that we live our lives the way we do, but He gives us the ability to make choices, thus, making our own destinies. Then, there are the total free will people. These people are generally atheists who do not believe in a higher power and that we are nothing more than another animal species in the animal kingdom. 

I believe that I know what type of believer I am but throughout this essay I hope to know what type I am for sure. I haven’t changed my question at all throughout my I-Search process but I have changed some of my views on the subject. 

Before this class, I had no idea what an I-Search paper was. I have struggled though finding essays and articles to research because it is very hard to find essays that link free will to crime. I have found multiple articles on what free will and determinism are, but I have had a hard time finding articles on the reasoning for crime. Most of the articles I have read relating to free will and determinism have dealt with some sort of religious aspect. Most articles talk about whether or not there is a God and whether or not we should be held morally responsible for our actions. 

I have found many articles that deal with morality. Morality is a big issue is criminal justice and does somewhat relate to my topic. I also plan to interview a few of my criminal justice professors and see what they think about my question. I will be interested to see if they have a different opinion than I do. I also know a lot of police officers and plan to speak with them.  

Hopefully my readers will find my research interesting and informative. Although I would like for my readers to agree with my opinion, I know that not everyone will. My main goal is to inform every one of the different opinions that are out there and let them make up their own minds. With a question that is so controversial, I don’t plan to find a specific answer. What I do plan to do is find and research information that both backs and contradicts my opinions to give my readers a better understanding of my question. 

I hope that when I finish this paper I will have a better understanding of why people do the things they do. I hope that writing this I-Search paper will help me be a better police officer in the future. If I can understand why people do the things they do, maybe I can figure out a better way to help them with there problems and help make them better people.  

So, please take the time to read over my research and see what you think. Do we do things because we choose to or is every move we make in life a predetermined move that we have no control over? You read the research and you make the choice.