BSCC’s Role in Evidence-Based Criminal Justice Policy

1. BSCC’s Role in Evidence-Based Criminal Justice Policy David Lovell, Ph.D., M.S.W. Board of State and Community Corrections Association for Criminal Justice Research March 20, 2014

2. Declaring Premises Critical juncture in criminal justice policy Multiple and diverse effects Significant local variations Diverse roles, perspectives, and interests Common interest in assessing how it is working Reliable assessments make objective use of evidence

3. Is Objectivity Possible? • Role Bias? • Philosophy, prison teaching, counseling, consulting, academic focus, County experience • Experiential Bias? What Would It Be Like to Have No Views on Criminal Justice?

4. Role of Systematic Research Research does not settle policy questions, but allows policymakers to assess the stakes of various choices Useful research requires analysis and testing of relevance of evidence* Research requires hypotheses about causes and effects *cf. “piping”

5. Causal Model Legislative, Regulatory, and Funding Policy Change Intermediate Outcomes Lower state prison populations Lower total incarceration beds Alternative sentencing, pretrial, probation procedures Evidence-based programs to reduce recidivism

6. Causal Model Continued Intermediate OutcomesPolicy Goals Compliance with legal requirements Improved outcomes for offenders Incarceration only for those who need it Reduced victimization of community members by criminal behavior Raised qualify of life in neighborhoods most affected

7. BSCC’s Role Legislative Mandate Established relationships with County criminal justice agencies Partner with PPIC, CDCR., DOJ on Multi-County Study Multiple existing aggregate data sources Continue to support program operations

8. Near-Term Objectives • Build a research infrastructure: • Technical capacity to compile large individual-level datasets • Working agreements to facilitate research and collaboration with partners • Test and develop capacity w MCS • Focus on intermediate outcomes analyzing data available now • Technical assistance to counties

9. Objectivity Again --It’s better to be roughly right than precisely wrong.(Bruce Stegner) --No matter how much gold standard evidence you have for “it worked there,” you cannot pave the way from there to here with gold bricks.(Cartwright & Hardie, Evidence-Based Policy, 2012) --The beliefs we have most warrant for, have no other ground to rest on, but a standing invitation to the whole world to prove them unfounded.(John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, 1869)