Criminal Justice Planning and Evaluation

Paper must be in own words 1. In American Criminal Justice Policy, Prof. Dan Mears asserts that criminal justice policy in the United States is irrational and that evaluation research is the best hope for improvement on a national scale. How is American justice policy irrational? What are evidence- based practices and how do they factor into a solution? 2. What is program fidelity? Why does it matter in the context of criminal justice practices and policy? Last, how does fidelity specification inform research findings regarding program performance/effectiveness? 3. Per lectures and the Shover reading, what are the four requisite components for justice program evaluation designs? Identify and discuss the importance of each? 1. Independent variable- Program evaluation (a practice) 2. Dependent variable- Results (success of program, 3 measures of recidivism) 3. Comparison groups- Matching (age, race, etc.) 4. Follow up period- Specify the time frame (1 year, etc.) Define and talk about reality of applications