Final answer:
The variables in the criminal justice journal article using inferential statistics are Independent and Dependent variables, with the independent variable being the manipulated condition that influences the dependent variable's outcomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of a criminal justice journal article that uses inferential statistics to analyze data, the variables involved in the study were categorically identified as Independent and Dependent variables. An independent variable is the condition or factor that the researcher manipulates in an experiment and is usually considered the cause of any changes observed. For example, if the study is examining the effect of education level on crime rates, the independent variable would be the years of higher education whereas the dependent variable would be the crime rates observed during the study.
Furthermore, quantitative data was likely involved in the study, which could include discrete data, such as the count of individuals within specific age groups, or continuous data, such as the number of crimes reported over a certain period of time. Qualitative data may also have been collected to provide contextual or explanatory details beyond the numerical statistics. Examples could include reasons for criminal behavior or attitudes towards rehabilitation programs.