NCJ Number
195740
Editor(s)
David P. Farrington,
Brandon C. Welsh
Date Published
2001
Length
205 pages
Annotation
This special issue of The Annals examines the systematic review method and reports on some of its contributions to evidence-based crime prevention.
Abstract
This book contains path-breaking examinations of the systematic review method and reports on some contributions to evidence-based crime prevention. The articles were prepared by the Crime and Justice Group, for review by the Campbell Collaboration. This collaboration was set up to prepare, maintain, and disseminate evidence-based research on the effects of interventions in the fields of education, social welfare, and crime and justice. The methods of conducting systematic reviews of criminological intervention, that include only studies with the highest quality research designs, are examined in four articles. The first article discusses the growing interest in and challenges facing an evidence-based approach to the development of public policy and practice. It was found that some of these challenges could be overcome by using systematic reviews. The second article describes in detail the methodology of systematic reviews to investigate the effectiveness of interventions to prevent crime and criminal offending. It also discusses a major challenge faced by the group conducting the study, the Campbell Collaboration Crime and Justice Group, the criterion of methodological quality to be used for including studies. The third article addresses the question, does the research design affect the study outcomes? This preliminary study advises that findings of systematic reviews may be biased by the inclusion of nonrandomized studies. The fourth article reviews the methodology of the quantitative data synthesis technique of meta-analysis (the statistical analysis of the results of prior research studies). It was found that the inclusion of a meta-analysis in a systematic review has the capacity to produce the most rigorous summary assessment of the effectiveness of a criminological intervention based on a number of evaluation studies. The second part of this book contains four articles that examine research findings from prevention and intervention studies, all based on meta-analytic techniques. The first article reviews seven studies, providing a systematic review of parent training and support before age 3. The study results were mixed and it was recommended that further intervention studies in these areas need to be done. The second article reported on a systematic review, using meta-analytic techniques, and concluded that targeted policing could prevent crime and disorder in hot spots. The third article reported on a systematic review, using meta-analysis, of the effects of correctional boot camps on offending. It was reported that, overall, the meta-analysis found evidence of no effect. The final article of Part II reports on a systematic review, using meta-analytic techniques, of cognitive behavioral programs for offenders. It was found that cognitive-behavioral programs were effective in reducing recidivism. In Part III, the editors conclude that alongside the Campbell effort, a program of research of new crime prevention and intervention experiments and quasi-experiments must be initiated in Western countries, using rigorous research designs, including large samples, with long-term follow-up periods, and contain cost-benefit or cost-effectiveness analysis. The concluding book department section lists books covering the subject categories of international relations and politics; Africa, Asia, Latin America; Europe; the United States; sociology; and economics.