NICIC.gov: Evidence-Based Practices

Evidence-Based Practices

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) historically comes from the medical field as a method to utilize clinical research findings to improve medical decision making and lower risk.

In corrections, Evidence-Based Practice is the breadth of research and knowledge around processes and tools which can improve correctional outcomes, such as reduced recidivism. Tools and best practices are provided with a focus on both decision making and implementation.

Evidence-Based Decision Making
Information on NIC's initiative "A Framework for Evidence-Based Decision Making in Local Justice Systems."
Reducing Offender Risk
Learn how agencies can reduce offender risk and recidivism by using evidence-based policies and practices (EBP).
Box Set: Evidence-Based Principles for Reducing Offender Risk
A set of documents for judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and corrections practitioners that address evidence-based principles for reducing offender risk.
Norval Morris Project
Information and updates on activies related to the Norval Morris research project.

Date	Title	Type
2010	A Framework for Evidence-Based Decision Making in Local Criminal Justice Systems National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Center for Effective Public Policy (Philadelphia, PA); Pretrial Justice Institute (PJI) (Washington, DC); Justice Management Institute (JMI) (Denver, CO); The Carey Group (Silver Spring, MD). This report is essential reading for individuals wanting to achieve "measurable reductions of pretrial misconduct and post-conviction reoffending" (p.6). Eight sections follow an introduction (a new paradigm for the justice system): underlying premises; the key decision points, decision makers, and stakeholders in the criminal justice system; examining justice system decision making through the lens of harm reduction; the principles underlying the framework; applying evidence-based principles to... Read More	68 p.
2013	Evidence-Based Practices in the Criminal Justice System: An Annotated Bibliography National Institute of Corrections Information Center (Aurora, CO). “What Is the Evidence? Evidence-based policy and practice is focused on reducing offender risk, which in turn reduces new crime and improves public safety. Of the many available approaches to community supervision, a few core principles stand out as proven risk reduction strategies. Though not all of the principles are supported by the same weight of evidence, each has been proven to influence positive behavior change. To organize the research, these core principles have been compiled… into the ... Read More	82 pages
2011	Return on Investment: Evidence-Based Options to Improve Statewide Outcomes--July 2011 Update By Aos, Steve; Lee, Stephanie; Drake, Elizabeth; Pennucci, Annie; Klima, Tali; Miller, Marna; Anderson, Laurie; Mayfield, Jim; Burley, Mason. Washington State Institute for Public Policy (Olympia, WA). An overview is presented of findings (as of July 2011) regarding “a comprehensive list of programs and policies that improve … outcomes for children and adults in Washington and result in more cost-efficient use of public resources” (p. 1). Sections comprising this report are: summary; background; the four-step research approach that assesses what works, calculates costs and benefits and ranks options, measures the risks associated with the analysis, and estimates the impact of various option co... Read More	8 pages
2010	6 Evidence-Based Practices Proven to Lower Recidivism: Learning to Trust the Research By Hooley, Doug. CorrectionsOne.com (San Francisco, CA). If you are concerned about recidivism, this article is for you. The author explains how six integrated practices will lower your recidivism rates. These are: risk/needs assessment; individual motivators; target the appropriate intervention; rewire the brain; increase positive reinforcement; and ongoing support.... Read More	4 p.
2009	Evidence-Based Practice Recommendations for Juvenile Drug Courts By Hills, Holly; Shufelt, Jennie L.; Cocozza, Joseph J.. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (Chicago, IL). National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice (Delmar, NJ). Guidance for the implementation of evidence-based practices in juvenile drug courts is provided. Recommendations are given for screening and assessment, treatment, and outcome monitoring.... Read More	40 p.
2011	Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (Rockville, MD). GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation (Delmar, NY). “In the field of mental health, the term evidence-based practices (EBPs) refers to interventions that have been rigorously tested, have yielded consistent, replicable results, and have proven safe, beneficial, and effective for most people diagnosed with mental illness.” The following five factsheets address EBPs that can be adaptable to criminal justice settings: Assertive Community Treatment (ACT); Supportive Employment; Illness Self-Management and Recovery; Integrated Treatment for Co-Occurri... Read More
2009	In Search of Evidence-Based Practice in Juvenile Corrections: An Evaluation of Florida’s Avon Park Youth Academy and STREET Smart Program U.S. Dept. of Justice. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (Washington, DC); U.S. Dept. of Labor. Employment and Training Administration (Washington, DC). National Council on Crime and Delinquency. Children's Research Center (Madison, WI). Results from an evaluation of the APYA (Avon Park Youth Academy) Secure Care Program, involving vocational and educational interventions, combined with the SS (STREET Smart) aftercare reentry program are presented. Sections following an executive summary include: introduction; experimental program description; experimental group profiles; control group programs; comparative costs of experimental and control group programs; design of program evaluation; post-release subject interview findings; ed... Read More	241 p.

Date

Title

Type

2010

A Framework for Evidence-Based Decision Making in Local Criminal Justice Systems

National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Center for Effective Public Policy (Philadelphia, PA); Pretrial Justice Institute (PJI) (Washington, DC); Justice Management Institute (JMI) (Denver, CO); The Carey Group (Silver Spring, MD).

This report is essential reading for individuals wanting to achieve "measurable reductions of pretrial misconduct and post-conviction reoffending" (p.6). Eight sections follow an introduction (a new paradigm for the justice system): underlying premises; the key decision points, decision makers, and stakeholders in the criminal justice system; examining justice system decision making through the lens of harm reduction; the principles underlying the framework; applying evidence-based principles to... Read More

68 p.

2013

Evidence-Based Practices in the Criminal Justice System: An Annotated Bibliography

National Institute of Corrections Information Center (Aurora, CO).

“What Is the Evidence? Evidence-based policy and practice is focused on reducing offender risk, which in turn reduces new crime and improves public safety. Of the many available approaches to community supervision, a few core principles stand out as proven risk reduction strategies. Though not all of the principles are supported by the same weight of evidence, each has been proven to influence positive behavior change. To organize the research, these core principles have been compiled… into the ... Read More

82 pages

2011

Return on Investment: Evidence-Based Options to Improve Statewide Outcomes--July 2011 Update

By Aos, Steve; Lee, Stephanie; Drake, Elizabeth; Pennucci, Annie; Klima, Tali; Miller, Marna; Anderson, Laurie; Mayfield, Jim; Burley, Mason. Washington State Institute for Public Policy (Olympia, WA).

An overview is presented of findings (as of July 2011) regarding “a comprehensive list of programs and policies that improve … outcomes for children and adults in Washington and result in more cost-efficient use of public resources” (p. 1). Sections comprising this report are: summary; background; the four-step research approach that assesses what works, calculates costs and benefits and ranks options, measures the risks associated with the analysis, and estimates the impact of various option co... Read More

8 pages

2010

6 Evidence-Based Practices Proven to Lower Recidivism: Learning to Trust the Research

By Hooley, Doug. CorrectionsOne.com (San Francisco, CA).

If you are concerned about recidivism, this article is for you. The author explains how six integrated practices will lower your recidivism rates. These are: risk/needs assessment; individual motivators; target the appropriate intervention; rewire the brain; increase positive reinforcement; and ongoing support.... Read More

4 p.

2009

Evidence-Based Practice Recommendations for Juvenile Drug Courts

By Hills, Holly; Shufelt, Jennie L.; Cocozza, Joseph J.. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (Chicago, IL). National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice (Delmar, NJ).

Guidance for the implementation of evidence-based practices in juvenile drug courts is provided. Recommendations are given for screening and assessment, treatment, and outcome monitoring.... Read More

40 p.

2011

Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (Rockville, MD). GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation (Delmar, NY).

“In the field of mental health, the term evidence-based practices (EBPs) refers to interventions that have been rigorously tested, have yielded consistent, replicable results, and have proven safe, beneficial, and effective for most people diagnosed with mental illness.” The following five factsheets address EBPs that can be adaptable to criminal justice settings: Assertive Community Treatment (ACT); Supportive Employment; Illness Self-Management and Recovery; Integrated Treatment for Co-Occurri... Read More

2009

In Search of Evidence-Based Practice in Juvenile Corrections: An Evaluation of Florida’s Avon Park Youth Academy and STREET Smart Program

U.S. Dept. of Justice. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (Washington, DC); U.S. Dept. of Labor. Employment and Training Administration (Washington, DC). National Council on Crime and Delinquency. Children's Research Center (Madison, WI).

Results from an evaluation of the APYA (Avon Park Youth Academy) Secure Care Program, involving vocational and educational interventions, combined with the SS (STREET Smart) aftercare reentry program are presented. Sections following an executive summary include: introduction; experimental program description; experimental group profiles; control group programs; comparative costs of experimental and control group programs; design of program evaluation; post-release subject interview findings; ed... Read More

241 p.

Date	Title	Type
2013	Making the Transition: Rethinking Jail Reentry in Los Angeles County By Sandwick, Talia; Tamis, Karen; Parsons, Jim; Arauz-Cuadra, Cesar. California Endowment (Los Angeles, CA). Vera Institute of Justice. Substance Use and Mental Health Program (New York, NY). “The significant challenges faced by those leaving jail and the high price of continued offending underscore the importance of capitalizing on jail contact to link individuals with services both while in the jail and as they return to the community. However, providing supportive interventions in jail settings is extremely challenging. While a number of innovative practices exist, there is much progress to be made in the design of services that can support people as they leave jail and return hom... Read More	130 pages
2013	Updated Inventory of Evidence-based, Research-based, and Promising Practices For Prevention and Intervention Services for Children and Juveniles in the Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, and Mental Health Systems Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) (Olympia, WA); University of Washington. Evidence-Based Practice Institute (EBPI) (Seattle, WA). This inventory includes those mental health, child welfare, and juvenile justice intervention and prevention services that are provided to children and juveniles in Washington State and are considered to use promising practices. A promising practice is one that “based on statistical analyses or a well-established theory of change, shows potential for meeting the “evidence-based” or “research-based” criteria, which could include the use of a program that is evidence-based for outcomes other than ... Read More	12 pages
2013	A Guide to Calculating Justice-System Marginal Costs By Henrichson, Christian; Galgano, Sarah. U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance (Washington, DC). Vera Institute of Justice. Cost-Benefit Analysis Unit (New York, NY). "Any economic study of a justice-related investment needs to use the right cost information in its calculations. The type of cost used makes a difference in the accuracy of a study’s findings, as well as its relevance for policymaking, budgeting, and practice. Vera’s Cost-Benefit Analysis Unit has published this guide to help technical users and general readers understand marginal cost—the amount of change in total cost when a unit of output changes." “This guide [in particular] instructs policy... Read More	28 pages
2013	Workload and Resource Assessment: Resource Guide National Center for State Courts (NCSC) (Williamsburg, VA). “Systematically assessing the number or people, appropriate resources, and measures of caseloads is critical for ensuring that courts and related agencies are able to deliver quality service to the public effectively and without delay. Given the increasing number and complexity of cases, it is important for states to use an objective workload assessment process, combined with an interconnectedness of judicial and staff work that allows for a holistic assessment of resources needed, to ensure tha... Read More
2013	Building Cost-Benefit Analysis Capacity in Criminal Justice: Notes from a Roundtable Discussion By Chiu, Tina. U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance (Washington, DC). Vera Institute of Justice. Cost-Benefit Knowledge Bank for Criminal Justice (CBKB) (New York, NY) . “Interest in using cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to help in criminal justice policymaking and planning has grown in recent years as state and local budgets have become increasingly strained. Most jurisdictions, however, have not been able to create a sustained capacity to produce and use CBA in decision making and budgeting. The Vera Institute of Justice organized a roundtable discussion to examine what factors might help jurisdictions build lasting capacity to use and perform CBA … The discussion... Read More	16 pages
2013	Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act: Survey of States and Territories on Implementation of the Act (GAO-13-234 SP, February 2013), an E-Supplement to GAO-13-211 U.S. Government Accountability Office (Washington, DC). “This e-supplement is a companion to our report titled, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act: Jurisdictions Face Challenges to Implementing the Act, and Stakeholders Report Positive and Negative Effects (GAO-13-211) [NIC accession no. 026992]. The purpose of this e-supplement is to provide information from GAO's Web-based survey of state sex offender registration and notification offices about their efforts to implement the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), challe... Read More
2013	Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act: Survey of States and Territories on Implementation of the Act (GAO-13-234 SP, February 2013), an E-Supplement to GAO-13-211 U.S. Government Accountability Office (Washington, DC). “This e-supplement is a companion to our report titled, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act: Jurisdictions Face Challenges to Implementing the Act, and Stakeholders Report Positive and Negative Effects (GAO-13-211) [NIC accession no. 026992]. The purpose of this e-supplement is to provide information from GAO's Web-based survey of state sex offender registration and notification offices about their efforts to implement the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), challe... Read More
2013	Statewide Criminal Justice Recidivism and Revocation Rates Texas Legislative Budget Board (Austin, TX). “This report summarizes the analysis of reincarceration rates for adult offenders who were released from prisons, state jails, Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facilities, In-Prison Therapeutic Community program, and Intermediate Sanction Facilities in fiscal years 2006 and 2007; and rearrest rates for adult offenders released from prisons and state jails in fiscal years 2005 and 2006. In addition, this report summarizes reincarceration rates for juveniles released from the Texas Youth Commissi... Read More	118 pages
2013	Statewide Criminal Justice Recidivism and Revocation Rates Texas Legislative Budget Board (Austin, TX). “This report summarizes the analysis of reincarceration rates for adult offenders who were released from prisons, state jails, Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facilities, In-Prison Therapeutic Community program, and Intermediate Sanction Facilities in fiscal years 2006 and 2007; and rearrest rates for adult offenders released from prisons and state jails in fiscal years 2005 and 2006. In addition, this report summarizes reincarceration rates for juveniles released from the Texas Youth Commissi... Read More	118 pages
2013	Statewide Criminal Justice Recidivism and Revocation Rates Texas Legislative Budget Board (Austin, TX). “This report summarizes the analysis of reincarceration rates for adult offenders who were released from prisons, state jails, Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facilities, In-Prison Therapeutic Community program, and Intermediate Sanction Facilities in fiscal years 2006 and 2007; and rearrest rates for adult offenders released from prisons and state jails in fiscal years 2005 and 2006. In addition, this report summarizes reincarceration rates for juveniles released from the Texas Youth Commissi... Read More	118 pages
2013	Performance Measures Committee/PBMS: Library Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) (Hagerstown, MD). “The Performance Measures Committee uses a Performance Based Measures System (PBMS) to define correctional standards in keeping with contemporary practice; to delineate measures of performance for each standard; to establish key indicators for each measure; to institute counting rules for each indicator; to store the measures on a web database; to produce reports of correctional performance; and to conduct appropriate comparisons of performance across jurisdictions.” Access is provided to essent... Read More
2013	Adult and Juvenile Correctional Population Projections: Fiscal Years 2013 to 2018 Texas Legislative Budget Board (Austin, TX). Projections for the changes in Texas’ adult and juvenile correctional populations are presented. Sections contained in this report are: introduction and report highlights; arrest rates in Texas; adult correctional population projections; juvenile correctional population projections; qualitative review summary; and glossary. Appendixes explain what the methodology and assumptions for each correctional population projection.... Read More	49 pages

Date

Title

Type

2013

Making the Transition: Rethinking Jail Reentry in Los Angeles County

By Sandwick, Talia; Tamis, Karen; Parsons, Jim; Arauz-Cuadra, Cesar. California Endowment (Los Angeles, CA). Vera Institute of Justice. Substance Use and Mental Health Program (New York, NY).

“The significant challenges faced by those leaving jail and the high price of continued offending underscore the importance of capitalizing on jail contact to link individuals with services both while in the jail and as they return to the community. However, providing supportive interventions in jail settings is extremely challenging. While a number of innovative practices exist, there is much progress to be made in the design of services that can support people as they leave jail and return hom... Read More

130 pages

2013

Updated Inventory of Evidence-based, Research-based, and Promising Practices For Prevention and Intervention Services for Children and Juveniles in the Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, and Mental Health Systems

Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) (Olympia, WA); University of Washington. Evidence-Based Practice Institute (EBPI) (Seattle, WA).

This inventory includes those mental health, child welfare, and juvenile justice intervention and prevention services that are provided to children and juveniles in Washington State and are considered to use promising practices. A promising practice is one that “based on statistical analyses or a well-established theory of change, shows potential for meeting the “evidence-based” or “research-based” criteria, which could include the use of a program that is evidence-based for outcomes other than ... Read More

12 pages

2013

A Guide to Calculating Justice-System Marginal Costs

By Henrichson, Christian; Galgano, Sarah. U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance (Washington, DC). Vera Institute of Justice. Cost-Benefit Analysis Unit (New York, NY).

"Any economic study of a justice-related investment needs to use the right cost information in its calculations. The type of cost used makes a difference in the accuracy of a study’s findings, as well as its relevance for policymaking, budgeting, and practice. Vera’s Cost-Benefit Analysis Unit has published this guide to help technical users and general readers understand marginal cost—the amount of change in total cost when a unit of output changes." “This guide [in particular] instructs policy... Read More

28 pages

2013

Workload and Resource Assessment: Resource Guide

National Center for State Courts (NCSC) (Williamsburg, VA).

“Systematically assessing the number or people, appropriate resources, and measures of caseloads is critical for ensuring that courts and related agencies are able to deliver quality service to the public effectively and without delay. Given the increasing number and complexity of cases, it is important for states to use an objective workload assessment process, combined with an interconnectedness of judicial and staff work that allows for a holistic assessment of resources needed, to ensure tha... Read More

2013

Building Cost-Benefit Analysis Capacity in Criminal Justice: Notes from a Roundtable Discussion

By Chiu, Tina. U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance (Washington, DC). Vera Institute of Justice. Cost-Benefit Knowledge Bank for Criminal Justice (CBKB) (New York, NY) .

“Interest in using cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to help in criminal justice policymaking and planning has grown in recent years as state and local budgets have become increasingly strained. Most jurisdictions, however, have not been able to create a sustained capacity to produce and use CBA in decision making and budgeting. The Vera Institute of Justice organized a roundtable discussion to examine what factors might help jurisdictions build lasting capacity to use and perform CBA … The discussion... Read More

16 pages

2013

Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act: Survey of States and Territories on Implementation of the Act (GAO-13-234 SP, February 2013), an E-Supplement to GAO-13-211

U.S. Government Accountability Office (Washington, DC).

“This e-supplement is a companion to our report titled, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act: Jurisdictions Face Challenges to Implementing the Act, and Stakeholders Report Positive and Negative Effects (GAO-13-211) [NIC accession no. 026992]. The purpose of this e-supplement is to provide information from GAO's Web-based survey of state sex offender registration and notification offices about their efforts to implement the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), challe... Read More

2013

Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act: Survey of States and Territories on Implementation of the Act (GAO-13-234 SP, February 2013), an E-Supplement to GAO-13-211

U.S. Government Accountability Office (Washington, DC).

2013

Statewide Criminal Justice Recidivism and Revocation Rates

Texas Legislative Budget Board (Austin, TX).

“This report summarizes the analysis of reincarceration rates for adult offenders who were released from prisons, state jails, Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facilities, In-Prison Therapeutic Community program, and Intermediate Sanction Facilities in fiscal years 2006 and 2007; and rearrest rates for adult offenders released from prisons and state jails in fiscal years 2005 and 2006. In addition, this report summarizes reincarceration rates for juveniles released from the Texas Youth Commissi... Read More

118 pages

2013

Statewide Criminal Justice Recidivism and Revocation Rates

Texas Legislative Budget Board (Austin, TX).

118 pages

2013

Statewide Criminal Justice Recidivism and Revocation Rates

Texas Legislative Budget Board (Austin, TX).

118 pages

2013

Performance Measures Committee/PBMS: Library

Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) (Hagerstown, MD).

“The Performance Measures Committee uses a Performance Based Measures System (PBMS) to define correctional standards in keeping with contemporary practice; to delineate measures of performance for each standard; to establish key indicators for each measure; to institute counting rules for each indicator; to store the measures on a web database; to produce reports of correctional performance; and to conduct appropriate comparisons of performance across jurisdictions.” Access is provided to essent... Read More

2013

Adult and Juvenile Correctional Population Projections: Fiscal Years 2013 to 2018

Texas Legislative Budget Board (Austin, TX).

Projections for the changes in Texas’ adult and juvenile correctional populations are presented. Sections contained in this report are: introduction and report highlights; arrest rates in Texas; adult correctional population projections; juvenile correctional population projections; qualitative review summary; and glossary. Appendixes explain what the methodology and assumptions for each correctional population projection.... Read More

49 pages

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