NCJ Number
230567
Date Published
2010
Length
154 pages
Annotation
This book examines well-intended programs that, for one reason or another, fell short of their stated goals and/or objectives yet also had positive effects.
Abstract
The authors' goal with this work is to encourage a forthright dialogue about criminal justice, a dialogue that acknowledges that most new initiatives fail and that no one knows for certain how to reduce crime. The book is devoted to examining well-intended efforts that, for one reason or another, fell short of their stated objectives. These efforts include high-profile national programs, such as the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program, which has sent thousands of police officers into local schools to educate students about drugs without making a dent in teen substance abuse, as well as lesser-known local initiatives, such as the St. Louis Police Department's creative, but ultimately flawed, program to reduce gun violence by asking the worried parents and guardians of teenagers for permission to inspect their homes for firearms in return for a promise not to make any arrests based on what they found. The authors' examined several initiatives that have been widely hailed as successes in many places, including drug courts and Operation Ceasefire, but in other locations they have struggled to succeed. Their implicit message in looking for failure amid success is that the line between the two is not clear. In fact, most "successful" programs have failures and many "failed" programs have successes. In writing this book, the authors' drew upon three years worth of research into failed criminal justice experiments of the past. This research, which was underwritten by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance, included a literature review, roundtables, on-site observations of innovative projects, and interviews with dozens of leading practitioners and scholars in the field.