NCJ Number
228815
Journal
Crime Prevention and Community Safety Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Dated: October 2009 Pages: 243-257
Date Published
October 2009
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Based on a literature review, this paper examines the concept of basing crime-prevention policy and practice on research findings, in order to provide an understanding of the complexity associated with the development, dissemination, and adoption of evidence-based crime prevention.
Abstract
The paper begins with an exploration of the conceptual properties of the term "research utilization" by dividing it into various categories that reflect dimensions of research use. Implications for understanding the impact of research evidence on crime prevention policy and practice are addressed, along with the production of useful knowledge types. An examination of the concept of "research utilization" is also used to highlight the inherent tensions involved in generating evidence-based crime prevention. This involves promoting adherence to program design, commonly known as "fidelity" while also allowing flexibility for local adaptation. The consequences for collaborative efforts among academic criminologists, policymakers, and practitioners are also explored. Currently, little is known about how tools for promoting evidence-based crime prevention are adopted and implemented by policymakers and practitioners. Understanding how research findings are packaged, disseminated, and used in crime prevention policymaking and practice is relevant to the process of replicating what works successfully in one context in another context that may not have all of the environmental features of the original research. What seems to work best is close collaborative partnerships among crime prevention researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, so that a high level of fidelity in evidence-based policy and practice is adopted. 67 references