Paul Elam
Chief Strategy Officer, MPHI
Key Findings
- Using valid and methodologically-sound criminal justice data is essential to see if criminology interventions are successful in reducing crime.
- Ways to bridge the research-practice gap include: improving the quality of research, making research more accessible (wider dissemination and less jargon), and presenting their work at conferences.
Description
In the essay, “Use of Research Evidence by Criminal Justice Professionals,” Elam and his co-authors make recommendations to promote the use of research evidence by policymakers and criminal justice professionals including how they acquire, view, and use criminal justice research. Using valid and methodologically-sound criminal justice data is essential to understanding if criminology interventions are successful in reducing crime. When research is not used, there is a research-practice gap, where research-tested, successful interventions aren’t being relayed into real-life practice. The field of study to that examines the gap between policy, practice, and research is relatively new and attempts to bridge these gaps. The authors note that there are also other ways to bridge the gap between research and implementation by policymakers and criminal justice professionals, such as improving the quality of research, making research more accessible (wider dissemination and less jargon), and presenting their work at conferences.