Smart Suite Academy

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http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11990/4170

The Bureau of Justice Assistance's (BJA's) "Smart Suite" of programs re-examines every aspect of the criminal justice system to identify what is working in the field to reduce crime and recidivism and make our communities safer. The Smart Suite of programs represents a strategic approach that brings more "science" into criminal justice operations by leveraging innovative applications of analysis, technology, and evidence-based practices with the goal of improving performance and effectiveness while containing costs.

The heart of the Smart Suite is practitioner–researcher partnerships that use data, evidence, and innovation to create strategies and interventions that are effective and economical. This data-driven approach assists jurisdictions to understand the full nature and extent of the crime challenges they are facing and to target resources to the highest priorities.

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 34

Assessing the Effectiveness of Criminal Justice Programs
(Justice Research and Statistics Association, 1994-01) Przybylski, Roger; Kirchner, Robert; Cardella, Ruth
This Handbook is designed to aid criminal justice policy makers and program managers in assessing the effectiveness of their programs. In developing the Handbook, an attempt has been made to apply the concepts, principles, and techniques embodied in evaluation literature to fit the characteristics and uniqueness of the vast types of criminal justice programs being implemented across the nation. First, the Handbook proposes general criteria to identify program effectiveness and poses several questions designed to tell a program manager to what extent their program is effective. The second goal is to describe methods on how to translate the general criteria into specific program elements which are necessary to evaluate programs. Finally, specific program examples show how these program elements can be used to measure the extent to which programs are achieving their goals and objectives.
Building a Foundation for Analytics
(Justice Research and Statistics Association, 2018-08-23) Lopez-Howard, Stefanie; Hogans, Joseph; Alam, Tasmia
How can we reduce the time and effort it takes to collect and integrate data from various components of the criminal justice system? What tools are available to help us communicate our analysis results to our stakeholders? Gathering and integrating data from multiple sources can often be the most laborious and time-consuming activity in SAC analysis. The tool you then use to present your analysis can be just as important and impactful as the analysis itself. In this webinar, we'll discuss how to identify and use tools to improve data integration and visualization activities. By the end of the webinar, you will understand the major components of a data management solution and best practices for visual analytics.
Building Successful Victim Researcher and Practitioner Collaborations
(Center for Victim Research (CVR), 2018) Murray, Christine
This Center for Victim Research (CVR) tip sheet provides ten tips, or a "roadmap," for fostering collaboration between researchers studying victimization and professionals working directly with victims. The report also includes reasons that collaboration between the two groups is important, such as incorporating front-line knowledge about victims' needs and safety into research questions, improving data collection and analysis, and increasing understanding and credibility of research findings. See also CVR webinar by Dr. Christine Murray on this topic. (CVRL Abstract)
Communicating and Disseminating Research Findings
(Justice Research and Statistics Association, 2019) Paul, Casey
This webinar provides an overview of how to communicate and disseminate research findings in a variety of ways to a variety of audiences. It focuses on identifying your audience and catering your research reports to that audience. It also explores the various mediums of disseminating research results as well as how to develop a dissemination plan. Learning objectives include: - Defining knowledge transfer, - Determining how to communicate findings by identifying the audience, - Distilling a message, and writing findings in an accessible way, and - Developing a dissemination plan.
Contemporary Issues in Risk Assessment
(Justice Research and Statistics Association, 2018-02-22) Baldwin, Kevin
Risk assessment within criminal justice settings has recently been a topic of intense interest and scrutiny. Sensational headlines and in-depth investigations have highlighted concerns with the methods and outcomes associated with risk assessment, addressing issues such as the ubiquitous nature of Big Data to the potential impact of risk assessments on racial disparities and mass incarceration. This webinar will provide a comprehensive review of risk assessment in criminal justice settings. We will discuss the purposes and settings of risk assessment, how risk assessments are developed, the types of factors typically included, issues related to accuracy, and the different approaches to risk assessment. We will also spend time discussing how to communicate the results of risk assessments, including a recent proposal to standardize how we do so. We'll also focus on a number of recent controversies in this area, touching on issues of fairness, constitutionality, and bias. Finally, we'll provide a number of recommendations for the responsible development and use of risk assessments in criminal justice settings.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
(Justice Research and Statistics Association, 2021-12) Przybylski, Roger
This research Methods Brief is the second in a series of JRSA resources focused on economic evaluation. It describes the basic steps involved in cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and briefly discusses the value of CBA as a decision-making tool in the criminal justice system. While it is written for researchers who are interested in learning how to conduct CBA, consumers of CBA findings may also find the report informative.
Cost-Benefit Analysis for Juvenile Justice Programs
(Justice Research and Statistics Association, 2002-05) Aos, Steve
This briefing focuses on how formal cost-benefit analysis can help people make informed decisions about certain aspects of the criminal justice system. Our particular focus is the juvenile justice system, but the techniques described here are applicable to the full range of criminal justice resource decisions. The emphasis is on decisions that affect how money—usually taxpayer-supplied money—is spent in the criminal justice system. Many other types of decisions, of course, are made in the criminal justice system, but formal cost-benefit analysis applies most readily to decisions that must be made about how dollars get spent.
Evaluability Assessment: Examining the Readiness of a Program for Evaluation
(Justice Research and Statistics Association, 2003-05) Kaufman-Levy, Deborah; Poulin, Mary
Program evaluation is a resource-intense activity that can provide program managers with a great deal of information about how well their programs are operating. Unfortunately it is not uncommon for an evaluator to discover after an evaluation is underway that the program is not ready for it. A program may not be fully operational, for example, or may not be able to handle the data collection requirements of an evaluation. Determining whether a program is ready for an evaluation prior to beginning it can help ensure that precious evaluation resources are used at the most appropriate time.
Hiring and Working With an Evaluator
(Justice Research and Statistics Association, 2001-09) Orchowsky, Stan; Trahan, Merideth; Carson, Taj
Program evaluation is an essential tool for the management of juvenile justice programs. Evaluation can help program managers and staff members understand how their daily activities are related to specific goals and objectives, and how these goals and objectives relate to the juvenile justice problem or need that the program hopes to address. While most program managers are capable of conducting some evaluation activities, managers may want to employ a qualified evaluator to assist them with the process of measuring outcomes or designing an evaluation study that will determine whether they are achieving the outcomes they hope for. The purpose of this briefing is to provide information to juvenile justice program managers about how to go about hiring an evaluator. The briefing discusses how a qualified evaluator can assist a program manager in assessing her/his program’s performance, what characteristics to look for in hiring a qualified evaluator, and how to go about finding such a person
Implementing Evidence-Based Practices
(Justice Research and Statistics Association, 2014-12) Przybylski, Roger
This briefing deals with the critically important issue of program implementation. It describes key implementation challenges in the context of evidence-based programs and presents research- based strategies that can be used to facilitate sound implementation in real-world settings. It is designed to help State Administrative Agencies (SAAs) and their grantees achieve positive pro- gramming outcomes and realize the full potential of the evidence-based programs they adopt.
Interrupted Time Series Analysis in Criminal Justice: Analytical Factors to Consider
(Justice Research and Statistics Association, 2022-01) Corsaro, Nicholas
This research methods brief describes how Interrupted Time Series Analysis (ITS) has emerged as a valuable methodological tool in criminology and criminal justice research, the logic and characteristics of ITS, and key factors to consider when planning and executing an ITS study. It also highlights the unique conditions needed to conduct an ITS study and the strengths and limitations of ITS approaches within particular study contexts. The brief is written for researchers with a prior understanding of basic research design, the concepts of counterfactuals and control, and basic regression techniques.
An Introduction to Evidence-Based Practices
(Justice Research and Statistics Association, 2014-04) Orchowsky, Stan
The movement toward the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) has been sweeping the criminal justice community in recent years. The purpose of this briefing paper is to provide policymakers with an introduction and overview of the key concepts and issues associated with the identification and use of EBPs in criminal justice. The briefing provides a brief history of the evidence-based movement, discusses what is meant by evidence and where evidence comes from, identifies sources for information on EBPs, discusses issues associated with implementing EBPs, and addresses the question of what to do when there is no evidence for a particular program or practice.
Is This a Good Quality Outcome Evaluation Report? A Guide for Practitioners
(Justice Research and Statistics Association, 2011-11) Poulin, Mary; Orchowsky, Stan; Trask, Jason
This guide is designed to introduce and explain the key concepts in outcome evaluation research in order to help practitioners distinguish between good and poor quality evaluation reports. The intent is to help practitioners 1) understand key evaluation terms and designs, and 2) recognize how to identify a well written evaluation report. This guide does not explain how to identify evidence-based programs or “what works.” It is not intended to assist the reader with making overall judgments or determinations about specific programs or program types. More information than is found in one evaluation report is needed to identify whether a program is evidence-based. This guide provides the reader with the basic information needed to identify high quality evaluation reports.
Is This a Good Quality Outcome Evaluation Report? A Guide for Practitioners
(Justice Research and Statistics Association, 2011-11) Trask, Jason; Orchowsky, Stan; Poulin, Mary
This guide is designed to introduce and explain the key concepts in outcome evaluation research in order to help practitioners distinguish between good and poor quality evaluation reports. The intent is to help practitioners 1) understand key evaluation terms and designs, and 2) recognize how to identify a well written evaluation report. This guide does not explain how to identify evidence-based programs or “what works.” It is not intended to assist the reader with making overall judgments or determinations about specific programs or program types. More information than is found in one evaluation report is needed to identify whether a program is evidence-based. This guide provides the reader with the basic information needed to identify high quality evaluation reports.
JRSA's Fall Virtual Research Gathering - Communicating Research Results to Stakeholders Day One
(Justice Research and Statistics Association, 2021-12-01)
Session 1: Engaging Policymakers: Best Practices from Those Who Study It and Do it Across her career, Professor Karen Bogenschneider has worked with dozens of researchers who are policy-minded and dozens of policymakers who are research-minded. Most recently, she headed up a study that interviewed 225 state policymakers about their research use. Based on her studies and experience, she will discuss the policies and places and people that can frustrate or facilitate research use. She will cover several best practices that researchers can learn to engage policymakers with more surety and success. Session 2: Translational Criminology and Politics This session with Thomas G. Blomberg, Ph.D. will trace the evolution in criminology and criminal justice research to the current translational criminology movement, including the rise of the Making a Difference Movement through evidence-based criminal justice policies and practices. The session will focus on Researcher-Policymaker-Practitioner Partnerships and “Champions” in successfully translating research into evidence-based criminal justice policies and practices.
JRSA's Fall Virtual Research Gathering Communicating Research Results to Stakeholders Day Two
(Justice Research and Statistics Association, 2021-12-02)
For the second day of the JRSA Fall 2021 Virtual Gathering. winners of the Douglas Yearwood Publication Contest discussed their research. This award recognizes outstanding efforts that inform justice policy. For 2021, the winners were: Statistical/Management Reports in this category present statistical data that identify and describe one or more justice-related issues. This type of report usually includes tables and graphs, with some text that explains and summarizes the data depicted. No Award Given in the Small SAC Category District of Columbia Statistical Analysis Center A Study of the Root Causes of Juvenile Justice System Involvement Kaitlyn Sill, PhD (Large SAC) Research/Policy Analysis Reports in this category pose one or more specific research or evaluation questions and typically employ a specific research design to address the issues raised. They usually involve the collection and analysis of data (either quantitative or qualitative), summarize findings, and offer conclusions and recommendations. Utah Statistical Analysis Center Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) Update, Annual Report to the Legislature – November Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (Small SAC) Illinois Statistical Analysis Center A Preliminary Look at Illinois Arrest Trends During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020 Jessica Reichert and Sharyn Adams (Large SAC) Also included at the end of the webinar are updates from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and from JRSA.
Law Enforcement Community Surveys Training Module 1: Introduction to Community Surveys in Law Enforcement
(Christian Peterson, 2023-01-19) Christian Peterson
This toolkit is designed to provide law enforcement agencies with entry level guidance on conducting community surveys.
Law Enforcement Community Surveys Training Module 2: Designing & Formatting Surveys
(Christian Peterson, 2023-01-19) Christian Peterson
This toolkit is designed to provide law enforcement agencies with entry level guidance on conducting community surveys.
Law Enforcement Community Surveys Training Module 3: Survey Questions & Data Analysis
(Christian Peterson, 2023-01-19) Christian Peterson
This toolkit is designed to provide law enforcement agencies with entry level guidance on conducting community surveys.
Law Enforcement Community Surveys Training Module 4: Writing Survey Questions
(Christian Peterson, 2023-01-19) Christian Peterson
This toolkit is designed to provide law enforcement agencies with entry level guidance on conducting community surveys.

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