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Influencing Public Policy: An Embedded Criminologist Reflects on California Prison Reform

NCJ Number
225297
Journal
Journal of Experimental Criminology Volume: 4 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2008 Pages: 335-356
Author(s)
Joan Petersilia
Date Published
December 2008
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article reports on best practices of prisoner reintegration.
Abstract
Findings indicate that the timing of policy initiatives, the power of rigorous methodology, and clear communication are important for effective decisionmaking. Seven issues which emerged from the research are discussed and include: the importance of research when the topic has immediate and understandable policy relevance, and the results are delivered without jargon; the importance of having a deep understanding of the people and organizations receiving the information, and paying keen attention to their legal, political, institutional, and resource constraints; the need for the details of the broader policy environment to be understood, otherwise certain policy options might be timed correctly or incorrectly; the current literature on "what works" in rehabilitation programs is insufficient to guide policy without corresponding literature on program implementation; realizing that policymakers are more often willing to support rigorous research, especially randomized experiments; the recognition that public criminology is incredibly demanding, both personally and professionally, and the price is probably higher than many academics are willing to pay; and finally, understanding that the science of criminology and the role in public policy is necessary but ultimately insufficient to alter fundamentally our Nation's justice system. References

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