Title
Academic Partnerships and Evaluations in Problem-Solving Courts: A Practitioner Resource Guide
Document Type
Report
Publication Date
2020
Abstract
This resource guide is intended to assist criminal justice system practitioners who may be interested in measuring the effectiveness of their programs. While the guide is developed specifically in the context of problem-solving courts, much of the resources included are applicable to a wide range of criminal justice and social service programs.
Chapter 1 outlines how practitioners can work with either an academic evaluator or partner to conduct an independent, objective evaluation of their programming. Chapter 2 explains the differences between two types of evaluations: process and outcome evaluations. Chapter 3 covers logic models, which are a critical task prior to beginning program evaluation work. Chapter 4 then covers issues related to data collection for an evaluation.
Overall, the guide is designed to help justice system practitioners take the necessary steps to begin to discover what aspects of their programming are functioning as intended and which aspects could use improvement. While the idea of program evaluation can seem intimidating or risky for some programs, the following chapters will help prepare practitioners for a rewarding and valuable evaluation process.
Recommended Citation
Taylor, Caitlin J. (2020). Academic Partnerships and Evaluations in Problem-Solving Courts: A Practitioner Resource Guide.