Advancing “What Works” in Justice: Past, Present, and Future Work of Federal Justice Research Agencies

Abstract Since the 1960s, research on crime, delinquency, and justice has achieved important milestones regarding program evaluation. The field has made significant strides in identifying and cataloging evidence-based programs, practices, and policies for juvenile and criminal justice. These efforts have helped refine our definition of “evidence-based programs.” Tracing the distinctive role that Federal science agencies have played in determining what works and in advancing evidence-based approaches to crime and justice, we highlight key milestones, distinctive features, and the changing landscape of justice research over the past half-century. We extend our examination of current efforts to discern future directions for evaluation and evidence work in our field. Our review of a half-century of justice evaluation to build evidence-based approaches in juvenile and criminal justice reveals an evolution in our field’s commitment to rigor, our standards of evidence, and our notions of “what works.” Our review suggests important directions for the future including the importance of program context, the trade-offs between implementation fidelity and experimentation, and the added value of supporting programs with decision-making tools and platforms. We close with some insights into how current approaches to evaluation may further evolve and grow, especially in the areas of implementation, program adaptation, and support for local capacity. The payoff is a deeper understanding of the potential and the limitations of evaluation evidence to determine what works and what doesn’t.