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11 - Systematic Reviews and Cost–Benefit Analyses

Toward Evidence-Based Crime Policy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2014

By
Brandon C. Welsh ,
Peter H. van der Laan  and
Meghan E. Hollis
Edited by
Brandon C. Welsh ,
Anthony A. Braga  and
Gerben J. N. Bruinsma
Brandon C. Welsh
Affiliation:
Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement
Peter H. van der Laan
Affiliation:
VU University Amsterdam
Meghan E. Hollis
Affiliation:
Northeastern University
Brandon C. Welsh
Affiliation:
Northeastern University
Anthony A. Braga
Affiliation:
Rutgers University, New Jersey
Gerben J. N. Bruinsma
Affiliation:
Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement
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Summary

INTRODUCTION

Crime policy should be rational and based on the best possible research evidence. It is of course wholly naïve to think that the evidence base on the effectiveness of a particular program or strategy will be the sole influence on policy. There are many considerations involved in implementing new policies as well as in expanding effective ones or putting an end to ineffective or harmful ones. For example, there may be different government priorities, such as military defense spending, environmental protection, or medical care for seniors, that are competing for scarce public resources. National polls may show that the public is more concerned with issues other than crime and its control. Other factors include the worry by politicians that they may be perceived as soft on crime by supporting prevention instead of law and order measures (Gest 2001), as well as the short time horizons of politicians (Tonry and Farrington 1995), which makes programs that show results only in the longer term less appealing to those who come up for election every few years. Regrettably, evidence of what works best is rarely a factor in the development of crime policy. Political and other considerations seemingly drive much of the crime policy agenda.

An evidence-based approach attempts to avoid these mistakes by ensuring that the best available evidence is considered in any decision to implement a program or policy designed to reduce crime. Put another way, it is about making sure that this research is at center stage in political and policy decisions. As noted by Petrosino (2000: 636), “An evidence-based approach requires that the results of rigorous evaluation be rationally integrated into decisions about interventions by policymakers and practitioners alike.” An evidence-based approach is crucial to understanding where, when, and if different interventions reduce crime, as well as helping to establish why an intervention does or does not work.

Type
Chapter
Information
Experimental Criminology
Prospects for Advancing Science and Public Policy
 , pp. 253 - 276
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2013

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