NCJ Number
198649
Date Published
2002
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This chapter provides a framework for understanding evidence-based approaches to crime prevention.
Abstract
Focusing on evidence-based programming, this chapter discusses the scientific knowledge and effectiveness of crime prevention programs. Beginning with a brief presentation of the history of the research project that led to the development of this work, this chapter details the National Institute of Justice’s project to review over 500 crime prevention programs and produce a 565-page report on the overall effectiveness of these programs. After discussing key concepts in crime prevention such as defining crime prevention by results, the authors describe the settings and practices of various crime prevention programs arguing that knowing the institutional setting of such programs is key to understanding what works and what does not work in assessing the effectiveness of a wide variety of crime prevention programs. Addressing the science of crime prevention, the authors discuss the strengths of the scientific method as central in providing widely agreed upon rules for assessing the validity of crime prevention programming. Focusing on research methods, this chapter concludes with a description of various ways to assess crime impacts and crime prevention programming effectiveness using a scientific methods scale. References