HOW WELL DOES IT WORK? - REVIEW OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE EVALUATION, 1978

• NCJ Number: 64112
• Author(s): ANON
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 374 pages
• Contract Number(s): J-LEAA-023-77
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: National Institute of Justice/NCJRS
• Sale Source: Superintendent of Documents, GPO; National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Best Practice/State-of-the-Art Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

EVALUATION IN THE FIELDS OF CORRECTIONS, COMMUNITY CRIME PREVENTION, COURTS, POLICE, AND JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IS REVIEWED ALONG WITH FINDINGS OF A SURVEY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE RESEARCHERS AND EVALUATORS.

Abstract

AN EXPLORATION OF EXISTING STUDIES OF TREATMENTS TO REDUCE CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR THROUGH THE CORRECTIONS SYSTEM CONCLUDES THAT MOST SUCH STUDIES FAIL TO MEASURE EITHER THE STRENGTH OF THE TREATMENT (HOW INTENSIVE IT WAS) OR THE INTEGRITY (HOW CONSISTENTLY THE PLANNED TREATMENT WAS ADMINISTERED). ANOTHER EVALUATION INDICATES THAT PRESENT RESEARCH INTO PROBATION, PAROLE, AND DETERMINATE SENTENCING OFFERS NO PANACEA FOR RECIDIVISM BUT DOES OFFER HOPE FOR A LOWER 'FAILURE' RATE AND A BETTER OPPORTUNITY FOR REINTEGRATION OF PAST OFFENDERS WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES. THE EFFICACY OF COMMUNITY CRIME PREVENTION PROGRAMS IS DEFENDED IN ONE REVIEW ARTICLE; THE LACK OF EFFECTIVE EVALUATION OF PROGRAM RESULTS CAUSES THESE PROGRAMS TO BE UNDERRATED. ANOTHER DISCUSSES MEASUREMENT ISSUES IN EVALUATING COMMUNITY CRIME PREVENTION PROGRAMS. A DISCUSSION OF INNOVATIONS IN COURT PROCEDURES, ORGANIZATION, SENTENCING, AND RELATED ISSUES FINDS FEW SCIENTIFIC EVALUATIONS OF THESE INNOVATIONS BUT CITES MANY LESS FORMAL ASSESSMENTS OF THEM AS INDICATIVE OF CERTAIN APPARENT TRENDS. EXPERIMENTAL FINDINGS ON TECHNIQUES OF POLICE PATROL AND OTHER FIELD ACTIVITIES ARE EXPLORED. ALSO, LITTLE EVALUATIVE EVIDENCE IS FOUND REGARDING THE EFFICACY OF RECENT POLICE REORGANIZATIONS, PARTICULARLY THOSE IN WHICH SMALLER FORCES MERGE INTO LARGER UNITS. A CONSIDERATION OF POLICE RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAMS CRITICIZES EXISTING PROGRAMS IN TERMS OF SUPPORT AND EVALUATION. NEW COMPUTER-AIDED TYPES OF POLICE CONTROL AND COMMUNICATIONS ARE EXPLAINED AND THE LACK OF EFFECTIVE EVALUATION OF THEM IS DISCUSSED. FINALLY, AN INVESTIGATION OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY CONTROL AND PREVENTION STRATEGIES CONCLUDES THAT LINKAGES BETWEEN SCHOOLS, WORK, AND FAMILY SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED AND STRENGTHENED. FINDINGS OF A SURVEY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE RESEARCHERS AND EVALUATORS INDICATE THAT CRIMINAL JUSTICE EVALUATIONS NEED IMPROVED METHODOLOGIES AND METHODOLOGICAL PRACTICES; THAT EVALUATORS, PROGRAM OPERATORS, AND POLICYMAKERS NEED GREATER TRAINING AND UNDERSTANDING OF EVALUATIONS; AND THAT EVALUATION RESULTS NEED TO BE APPRECIATED AND UNDERSTOOD BY PERSONS OUTSIDE THE EVALUATION COMMUNITY. NUMEROUS REFERENCE NOTES AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. FOR ABSTRACTS OF INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, SEE NCJ 64113-64122.