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Research and Policy Development Paper

Research and Policy Development

This paper will be describe the importance of research as it relates to policy development within the field of criminal justice. Many different issues will be addressed pertaining to this subject. The purposes and types of policies within the field of criminal justice will be identified. The relationship between research and policy development will be described. Examples of how research can assist policy makers by informing their policy decisions will be provided as well. Two examples of policies that were developed within the past ten years that resulted from research within the field of criminal justice will be identified.

Research within Criminal Justice

Research methods are procedures for obtaining information on individual and/or aggregate phenomena for the purpose of creating a general explanation or theory to explain a phenomenon. Research is also used for testing the applicability of an existing theory to a subgroup of the population. Also research can be used for testing the effectiveness of an existing social policy or program. Much criminal justice research in the United States, as in other countries, is social science research. Creating a general explanation or theory to explain a phenomenon and testing the applicability of an existing theory to a subgroup of the population are critical to the dialectic of scholarly knowledge in criminology and criminal justice. Researchers take on many interests when it comes to criminal justice. Researchers such as the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) sponsor studies on police performance, prosecution, sentencing, and corrections; we study the nature of crime and criminal behavior; we examine such topics as juvenile offending, the drug-crime link, environmental crime, family violence, and gangs. Our science and technology unit develops techniques for criminal investigations and for other areas of law enforcement, such as the use of DNA evidence. (Travis 1995) The National Criminal Justice Association's (NCJA) policy statements address major interests and concerns of the organization's membership on contemporary crime and criminal justice issues, such as fear and violence in communities, prison overcrowding, juvenile justice and the prevention of juvenile crime and delinquency, federal funding strategies, racial disparity, reentry, information sharing, mentally ill, and evidence-based programs and practices. (NCJA 2017)

Purpose and Policies within Criminal Justice

The purpose of the researchers researching the policies is to we communicate the findings of these studies, with the emphasis on getting them into the hands of practitioners and policymakers in the cities, counties, and states of the United States -- to police chiefs and prosecutors, prison wardens and court administrators and, increasingly, to community organizations and people who provide social and health services. More than ever, we are using advanced information technology to do this. (Travis 1995) Research is critical to the development of sound criminal justice policy, as well as to the development of advanced technologies that support the work of law enforcement agencies. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is the primary statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. BJS collects, analyzes, publishes, and disseminates information on crime, those who commit crime, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government. Impartial, timely, and accurate statistical data are essential to guide and inform federal, state, and local policymaking on crime and the administration of justice and to improve the quality of and access to information used for decision making. The BJS website provides every publication released by BJS since 1995, with downloadable datasets and spreadsheets, online analytic capabilities, and graphical presentations. (OJP 2017)

Relationship between Research and Policy Development

The relationship between research and policy development is very thin. Policymakers depend upon researchers to gather and document criminal justice data to better improve the laws and to better the communities suffering from criminals. Policy research may be descriptive, analytical, or deal with causal processes and explanations. It evaluates new and existing policy programmers, describe examples of best practice, measure social change, develop projections on the basis of large-scale modelling exercises, or consist of large-scale experimental research in real-life settings running for years and even decades. (Travis 1995) Researching has made not only a significant but a coherent impression on policing. Translational criminology, which consists of studying how best to turn conclusions derived from criminal justice research into tangible policy outcomes is the primary focus. It is important and a concern of the communities to spread the adoption of translational criminology that there has been assistance from the media, academia, and the government. The Office of Justice Programs established its Evidence Integration Initiative to advance the spreading of translational criminology as well. (Becca and Ortellado 2014) Research has to not only be accessible to researchers but to criminal justice practitioners, such as law enforcement officials and the media.

Research Assisting Policy Makers

It is preposterous for policy makers to know what policies are best. For policymakers to make better decisions they have to have the evidence which is why local data and research are very important. Local data and research can inform policies to be more effective and inform them on how to better respond to the realities of society. With the new federal education law governing K-12 education, and a new definition of “evidence-based” policy and practice, there is an immediate opportunity for researchers to inform policy. (Grant 2017) Research assist many decisions of policy makers. Research can yield change even when illuminating conditions and circumstances. The findings of a research study are open to debate and interpretation. In order for research to have a significant influence and positive results within the decision making, the research should contain clear and detailed answers. More questions should not be created when trying to comprehend the answers from research. (Grant 2017) The results given from the researcher’s project has assisted with making these policies and programs helpful and worthy. Different independent studies that are completed throughout trial and error processes are combed through independently to test the effectiveness. According to Becca ad Ortellado 2014, the “Smart Suite” of crime fighting programs designed by the Bureau of Justice Assistance – which include the Smart Policing, Smart Supervision, and Smart Prosecution Initiatives aims to promote data-driven results in each of these focus areas by encouraging practitioners to work with research partners specializing in such research analysis. Researchers, practitioners, and the media have important roles to play in ensuring that effective policy is enacted. There are many huge opportunities for researchers once they figure out how to communicate clearly and succinctly with policy makers. Increasing the accessibility of research is a very important way to help strengthen the link between policy and research. Policy makers need to have the best evidence at their fingertips, and researchers must make it easier for them to access and digest the given information. (Grant) There are programs such as the federal research and technical assistance programs, like the RELs and the Comprehensive Centers designed to assist states and districts in sorting through the evidence creating their dominant roles within the law making.

Policies Developed from Research in Criminal Justice

Policies have been known to change and have drastic effects within the criminal justice system based off the research that has been completed and passed down to policy makers and practitioners. High rates of incarceration in the United States and the great number of people held in the U.S. prisons and jails result from decisions by policy makers to increase the use and severity of prison sentences. (NAP 2014) These crime rates have risen drastically over the past ten years. Decisions by police officials were emphasized on street-level arrests of drug dealers in the war on drugs and the changed prevailing attitudes toward crime and criminals that led prosecutors, judges, and parole and other correctional officials to deal more harshly with individuals convicted of crimes. At the American Bar Association conference in 2013 Attorney General Eric Holder said, “Too many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long, and for no truly good law enforcement reason.” In 2010, Congress passed the Fair Sentencing Act reducing the crack/powder sentencing disparity from a 100:1 ration to 18:1. This act also removed the mandatory minimum five-year sentence for possession of crack cocaine. (Muhammed 2014)

References

Grant T., William “What are the Unseen Ways that Research Informs Policy” William T. Grant Foundation

James, Becca and Ortellado, Damian Dec.12, 2014. “Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice in Criminal Justice.”

Muhammed, David. November 3, 2014 “20 Years of Flawed Criminal Justice Policy” National Council on Crime and Delinquency

NAP 2014. The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences Chpt.3 The National Association of Sciences Engineering Medicine

OJP 2017. Office of Justice Programs. Retrieved from https://ojp.gov/programs/research_stats.htm

NCJA 2017. “Effective criminal justice policy and funding for justice assistance programs.” Retrieved from http://www.ncja.org/policy-statements

Travis, Jeremy. May 2, 1995. “Criminal Justice Research and Public Policy.” Retrieved from https://www.nij.gov/about/speeches/past-directors/pages/unspeech.aspx