Find Rated Practices | CrimeSolutions, National Institute of Justice

Find Rated Practices | CrimeSolutions, National Institute of Justice
Find Rated Practices
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A Practice
is a general category of programs, strategies, or procedures that share characteristics with regard to the issues they address and how they address them. Practice profiles tell us about the average results from multiple evaluations of similar programs, strategies, or procedures. Practice ratings are assigned to individual outcomes and tell us the average result across multiple evaluations.
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Practice Outcome Ratings Defined
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Rating
Description
Effective
On average, there is strong evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will achieve the intended outcome.
Promising
On average, there is some evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will achieve the intended outcome.
Ineffective
On average, there is strong evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will not achieve the intended outcome.
[1]
Negative Effects
On average, there is strong evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice may result in a negative outcome.
[2]
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Title
Evidence Rating
Topics
Summary
Practice Profile: Court-Mandated Batterer Intervention Programs (BIPs)
Crime & Delinquency | Violent offenses
Victimization | Domestic/intimate partner/family violence
Diversion, Pretrial, Recidivism, Crime prevention
This practice involves psychoeducational and cognitive–behavioral approaches to reduce the recidivism for individuals who have committed intimate-partner violence offenses. The practice is rated Ineffective for reducing either official or victim reports of repeated intimate-partner violence.
Date Posted:
3/13/24
Practice Profile: Mentoring Youth With Emotional and Behavioral Problems
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Internalizing behavior
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Externalizing behavior
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Interpersonal Skills
Youth development, Positive youth development, Treatment, Child health and welfare, Juvenile delinquency
This practice encompasses programs that provide youths who have emotional and behavioral problems with supportive relationships (generally with older individuals who offer guidance and encouragement) to improve their mental health outcomes. The practice is rated Effective for improving youths’ internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, and interpersonal skills.
Date Posted:
1/8/24
Practice Profile: Police-Initiated Pedestrian Stops to Reduce Crime
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Crime & Delinquency | Displacement effects
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Multiple mental health/behavioral health outcomes
Physical Health | Physical health of citizens who come into contact with law enforcement
Policing strategies, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Use of force, Law enforcement, Crime prevention, Law enforcement operations, Investigations, Mental health
Police-initiated pedestrian stops involve police officers’ stopping, questioning, and investigating pedestrians on the street, usually based on suspicion of criminal behavior or activity. Generally, the goal of the stops is to prevent or reduce the occurrence of crime and disorder. The practice is rated Promising for reducing measures of crime and displacement but was rated Ineffective for improving measures of mental and physical health of citizens who were stopped by police.
Date Posted:
12/19/23
Practice Profile: Mindfulness Training for Law Enforcement to Reduce Occupational Impact
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Depression
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Anxiety
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Burnout
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Sleep quality
Training, Law enforcement
This practice encompasses a wellness intervention that seeks to reduce the negative impact of stress on police officers, to improve their mental health outcomes. The practice is rated Effective for improving measures of depression, anxiety, and burnout. The practice is rated Ineffective for improving measures of sleep quality.
Date Posted:
12/19/23
Practice Profile: Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Problem behavior
Youth development, School climate, Schools, Restorative justice, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18), Law enforcement
This practice utilizes a multi-tiered system of supports designed to make schools more effective in establishing a school culture and building a behavioral supports system to improve students’ behavioral, social, emotional, and academic outcomes. It involves three tiers of support, including both prevention and intervention efforts. The practice is rated Promising for reducing students’ problem behaviors.
Date Posted:
9/28/23
Practice Profile: Parenting Programs for Teenage Mothers and Their Children
Family Functioning | Family functioning
Family Functioning | Appropriate developmental expectations of children
Family Functioning | Lack of empathic awareness towards children's need
Family Functioning | Nonbelief in corporal punishment
Family Functioning | Lack of parent-child role reversal
Parent education, Parent-child relations, Older teens (15-17), Younger teens (12-14)
This practice includes interventions aimed at helping teenage parents improve their functioning as a parent and in understanding the developmental needs of their child. This practice is rated Effective for improving parental interactions with one’s child. This practice is rated Ineffective for affecting measures of parental attitudes, including parents’ appropriate developmental expectation of children, empathic awareness, nonbelief in corporal punishment, and lack of parent–child role reversal.
Date Posted:
5/17/23
Practice Profile: Formal Mentoring to Prevent Youth Substance Use
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Alcohol
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Multiple substances
Alcohol-Related Offenses, Schools, Alcohol, Substance abuse, Underage drinking, Juvenile (under 18), Child health and welfare, Juvenile delinquency, Legal substances
This practice encompasses programs that provide youths with formal supportive relationships and various positive, community-based activities and experiences to reduce their need to use alcohol and/or drugs. The practice is rated Effective for reducing the likelihood of alcohol initiation and reducing the likelihood of drug use initiation.
Date Posted:
4/17/23
Practice Profile: School-Based Cyberbullying Prevention Programs
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Cyberbullying perpetration
Victimization | Cyberbullying victimization
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Bullying Perpetration
Victimization | Bullying victimization
Victimization | Cyber-bystander behavior
Bullying, School safety, Computers, School climate, Victimization, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18), Victims of crime
This practice aims to decrease cyberbullying perpetration and victimization and promote cyber-bystander behaviors among students in kindergarten through grade 12. This practice is rated Promising for reducing cyberbullying perpetration and victimization and is rated Promising for reducing bullying perpetration and victimization. This practice is rated Ineffective for promoting cyber-bystander behaviors.
Date Posted:
2/7/23
Practice Profile: Adolescent Substance Use Treatment
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Multiple substances
Juvenile health, Substance abuse, Underage drinking, Drug treatment, Drugs
The primary goal of substance use treatment is to reduce or treat substance use among adolescents. There are several different types of treatment modalities that can be used in substance use treatment for adolescents, such as cognitive–behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement therapy, and assertive continuing care programs. The practice is rated Effective for improving substance use outcomes of adolescents.
Date Posted:
1/19/23
Practice Profile: Youth-Initiated Mentoring for Youth Development
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Psychological functioning
Education | Multiple education outcomes
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Social functioning
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Cognitive functioning
Juvenile health, Mental health, Youth development, Child health and welfare, Juvenile delinquency
Youth-initiated mentoring involves a hybrid approach in which youths are empowered to identify, develop, and strengthen natural mentoring relationships from their existing social networks, rather than being assigned a new mentor through a more formal mentoring relationship. The practice is rated Promising for improving psychological, health, school/academic, and social outcomes, and rated Ineffective for cognitive functioning outcomes.
Date Posted:
12/22/22
Practice Profile: School-Based Interventions to Reduce Suspension and Arrest
Education | Expulsion/Suspension
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple Crime Offenses
Truancy, Youth development, Afterschool, School climate, Juvenile delinquency
This practice includes universal and targeted school-based interventions that aim to reduce student arrests and suspensions by helping students develop prosocial behavioral skills or improving school environment by revising school discipline practices. This practice is rated No Effects for reducing student suspensions and rated No Effects for reducing arrest rates of students.
Date Posted:
12/21/22
Practice Profile: School-Based Brief Interventions for Substance Use Among Youth
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Alcohol
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Marijuana
Schools, Marijuana, Alcohol, Substance abuse, Underage drinking, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18), Drugs
This practice consists of time-limited, low-dose therapeutic programs delivered in a school or educational setting that teach skills and encourage motivation to change or prevent substance use in youth participants. This practice is rated Effective for reducing alcohol use but was rated Ineffective for reducing marijuana use.
Date Posted:
4/18/22
Practice Profile: Parent-Involved Antibullying Programs for Youth
Victimization | Bullying victimization
Family Functioning | Parenting skills
Family Functioning | Negative parenting skills
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Bullying
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Internalizing behavior
Bullying, Children exposed to violence, Trauma, Schools, School safety, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18), Victimization, Mental health
This practice includes programs that offer a parent-involved component to reduce bullying perpetration and victimization. This practice is rated Promising for reducing bullying victimization and perpetration, reducing negative parenting, and improving positive parenting skills but is rated Ineffective for reducing youth depression.
Date Posted:
4/5/22
Practice Profile: Early Developmental Prevention Programs for At-Risk Youths
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Crime & Delinquency | Criminal justice involvement
Home visiting, Alternative schools, Juvenile delinquency, Crime prevention, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18)
This practice consists of early developmental programs that focus on enhancing child, parent–child, or family well-being to prevent social deviance and criminal justice involvement among at-risk children under age 5. The practice is rated Effective for reducing deviance and criminal justice involvement in youths who participated in early developmental prevention programs, compared with youths in the control group who did not participate.
Date Posted:
3/23/22
Practice Profile: Trauma-Focused Treatment for Juveniles and Young Adults With Trauma Symptoms and Externalizing Behaviors
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Trauma/PTSD
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Externalizing behavior
Juvenile health, Mental health, Trauma, Treatment, Juvenile (under 18), Young adults (18-24), Child health and welfare
This practice consists of trauma-focused interventions to treat trauma symptoms and externalizing behaviors in juveniles and young adults. The practice is rated Effective for reducing trauma symptoms and for externalizing behaviors in juveniles and young adults, compared with juveniles and young adults in the control group who did not receive treatment.
Date Posted:
1/31/22
Practice Profile: Body-Worn Cameras’ Effects on Police Officer Behavior
Justice Systems or Processes | Use of force
Crime & Delinquency | Assault on officer/officer injuries/resistance
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Justice Systems or Processes | Officer-initiated calls for service
Crime & Delinquency | Traffic stops/traffic tickets
Justice Systems or Processes | Field interviews/stop and frisk
Assault, Sensors/Surveillance, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Law enforcement operations, Arrests, Violent crime, Crime prevention, Equipment and technology
This practice involves the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement. The aim of this practice is to record interactions from an officer’s point of view to improve accountability and positively affect police officer behavior. The practice is rated Ineffective for its effects on officer use of force, officer injuries, officer-initiated calls for service, traffic stops, field interviews, and arrest incidents.
Date Posted:
1/7/22
Practice Profile: Red-Light Camera Interventions for Reducing Traffic Violations and Crashes
Crime & Delinquency | Total injury crashes
Crime & Delinquency | Total property damage only crashes
Crime & Delinquency | Total red-light running crashes
Crime & Delinquency | Total crashes
Sensors/Surveillance, Vehicles, Property crime, Crime prevention, Traffic laws, Traffic law enforcement, Law enforcement operations, Law enforcement, Equipment and technology
Red-light cameras are a traffic enforcement mechanism that permit police to remotely enforce traffic signals, to deter red-light running at signalized intersections. Red-light cameras are a fully automated photo detection system that includes cameras, sensors or triggers, and a computer. The practice is rated Promising for reducing total injury crashes. The practice is rated Ineffective for reducing total crashes, total property-damage-only crashes, or total red-light-running crashes.
Date Posted:
12/20/21
Practice Profile: Psychological Treatments for Adults With Histories of Violent Offending
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Trait anger
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Impulsivity
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Social problem solving
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | General social skills
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Antisocial cognitions
Mental health, Corrections, Prisons, Inmate programs, Intimate partner violence
This practice consists of talk-based therapies aimed at reducing violent, aggressive, or antisocial behavior of adults with a history of violent offending. Therapies include cognitive-behavioral therapy, anger management programs, and violence reduction programs. This practice is rated Promising for reducing trait anger and impulsivity and for improving social problem solving, and general social skills. This practice is rated Ineffective for reducing antisocial cognitions.
Date Posted:
11/22/21
Practice Profile: Interactive Programs for Preventing Marijuana Use in Middle School Students
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Marijuana
Schools, Marijuana, Substance abuse, Crime prevention, Juvenile (under 18), Child health and welfare, Drugs
This practice consists of skill-building and interaction-based activities integrated into school-based programs for grades 6–8 that are aimed at preventing marijuana use among adolescents ages 12–14. This practice is rated Effective for preventing marijuana use.
Date Posted:
11/22/21
Practice Profile: Counter-Narratives for the Prevention of Violent Radicalization
Crime & Delinquency | Overall risk factors for violent radicalization
This practice involves the use of counter-narratives, which attempt to challenge and deconstruct narratives suggesting extremist ideologies, to prevent the violent radicalization of participants. Types of counter-narratives include counter-stereotypical exemplar, persuasion, and inoculation. The practice is rated Effective for reducing risk factors for violent radicalization in participants, compared with participants in control groups.
Date Posted:
11/2/21
Practice Profile: Social Skills Training for Preventing Antisocial Behavior of Youth
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Overall antisocial behavior
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Aggression
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | General antisocial behaviors
Juvenile health, Mental health, Child health and welfare, Juvenile delinquency, Juvenile (under 18)
This practice involves the promotion of social and social-cognitive competencies to prevent future antisocial behavior. The practice is rated Effective for preventing overall antisocial behavior, aggression, delinquency, oppositional and disruptive behaviors, and general antisocial behavior.
Date Posted:
9/20/21
Practice Profile: Skill-Building Interventions for Delinquent Behaviors of Youth
Crime & Delinquency | Recidivism
Probation, Reentry, Treatment, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Juvenile delinquency, Juvenile justice, Juvenile (under 18), Young adults (18-24), Juvenile detention
This practice involves the use of skill-building interventions to prevent antisocial and delinquent behaviors in youth (ages 12 to 21) and to reduce juvenile recidivism. Skill-building interventions tend to be behavioral in approach or focus on instruction aimed at developing specific skills. The practice is rated Promising in reducing juvenile recidivism.
Date Posted:
9/8/21
Practice Profile: Psychosocial Interventions for Antisocial Behavior of Juveniles
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Antisocial behaviors
Juvenile health, Mental health, Treatment, Child health and welfare, Drugs, Drug treatment
This practice involves the use of psychosocial interventions to reduce antisocial behavior in juveniles. Psychosocial interventions consist of both preventive and therapeutic interventions but share the common goal of improving psychosocial functioning. The practice is rated Effective for the reduction of antisocial behavior.
Date Posted:
8/9/21
Practice Profile: Cognitive–Behavioral Interventions for Justice-Involved Juveniles and Young Adults Adjudicated for an Offense in Europe
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Parole, Probation, Mental health, Reentry, Treatment, Crime prevention, Juvenile delinquency, Juvenile detention, Juvenile (under 18), Adjudication
This practice involves the use of cognitive–behavioral interventions to reduce the reoffending of juveniles and young adults adjudicated for an offense in Europe. Cognitive–behavioral interventions include various similar therapies, including thinking skills programs, social skills and problem-solving approaches, and reinforcement of behavioral change. This practice is rated Promising for the reduction of reoffending.
Date Posted:
7/30/21
Practice Profile: Nontargeted Brief Alcohol Interventions for Substance Use for Juveniles
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Multiple substances
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Marijuana
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Alcohol
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Other hard substances
Marijuana, Alcohol, Substance abuse, Underage drinking, Drugs, Legal substances
The practice is aimed at reducing substance use (alcohol and other hard drugs) by providing motivations and/or skills to promote behavior change in a relatively brief time, typically between one to five sessions. The target population are juveniles and young adults ages 11 to 30. This practice is rated Effective for reducing illicit substance use, marijuana use, and alcohol use. The practice is rated Promising for reducing the use of other hard substances.
Date Posted:
7/21/21
Practice Profile: Selective School-Based Violence Prevention Programs
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Aggression
Bullying, School safety, School climate, Schools, Juvenile (under 18), Child health and welfare
This practice consists of programs designed to prevent or reduce aggressive or violent behavior in K–12 students who are considered at risk of or who have demonstrated such antisocial behaviors. The practice is rated Effective for reducing aggression in students who participated in school-based violence prevention programs, compared with students who did not participate.
Date Posted:
11/13/20
Practice Profile: Alcohol Interventions for College Students
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Alcohol
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Positive alcohol expectancies
Schools, Alcohol, Substance abuse, Underage drinking, Treatment, Campus, Drugs
This practice consists of interventions designed to reduce alcohol consumption in college students. Interventions can be delivered face to face or virtually and target different drinking-related behaviors, such as heavy drinking and alcohol expectancies. The practice is rated Promising for reducing alcohol consumption and reducing positive alcohol expectancies of college students.
Date Posted:
11/13/20
Practice Profile: Psychosocial Interventions for Cannabis Use Disorder
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Marijuana
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Symptoms of dependence
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Abstinence
Marijuana, Substance abuse, Drugs
This practice involves the use of psychosocial interventions to treat cannabis use disorder. Psychosocial treatments may include many forms of therapy, such as cognitive–behavioral therapy, contingency management, and relapse prevention. The practice is rated Effective for reducing the use of cannabis and the symptoms of dependence, and increasing the prevalence of abstinence.
Date Posted:
10/19/20
Practice Profile: Juvenile Intensive Supervision Programs
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Probation, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Juvenile delinquency, Juvenile justice, Juvenile detention
This practice consists of intensive supervision of juveniles on probation in the community, compared with those on traditional community supervision. Conditions of intensive supervision programs may vary, but they generally include increased face-to-face contact with probation officers, drug/urinalysis testing, and participation in programming (such as tutoring, counseling, or job training). The practice is rated Ineffective for reducing recidivism.
Date Posted:
9/3/20
Practice Profile: Teen Court
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Juvenile courts, Diversion, Youth/peer courts, Teen courts, Problem-solving courts, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Juvenile delinquency
This is a specialized diversion intervention that offers an alternative to traditional court processing for first-time, nonviolent juveniles. The goal is to hold juveniles accountable for their behavior, repair the harm caused to the community by their offenses, and reduce juvenile recidivism. The practice is rated Ineffective for reducing juvenile recidivism.
Date Posted:
7/29/20
Practice Profile: Early Family/Parent Training Programs
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Multiple juvenile problem/at-risk behaviors
Juvenile health, Mental health, Youth development, Home visiting, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18)
This practice includes programs that seek to provide families and parents with training and skills to help promote their children’s physical, mental, and social skills. The practice is rated Effective for reducing child problem behaviors for children whose families participated in early family/parent training programs, compared with control group children whose families did not participate in programming.
Date Posted:
6/1/20
Practice Profile: Expressive Writing Interventions for Adolescents
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Multiple juvenile problem/at-risk behaviors
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Internalizing behavior
Education | School participation
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Somatic complaints
Education | Academic achievement/school performance
Youth development, Schools, Juvenile (under 18), Child health and welfare, Mental health
This is a brief psychosocial intervention, also called written emotional disclosure. Expressive writing interventions are individually focused and designed to improve emotional expression and processing during adaptation to stressful situations. The goal is to improve psychological and physical health. The practice is rated Effective for improving adolescents’ problem behaviors, internalizing behaviors, and school participation, and rated Ineffective for school performance.
Date Posted:
5/11/20
Practice Profile: Targeted Brief Alcohol Interventions for Alcohol Use for Adolescents and Young Adults
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Alcohol consumption by adolescents
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Alcohol-related problems of adolescents
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Alcohol-related problems of young adults
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Alcohol consumption by young adults
Alcohol-Related Offenses, Schools, Alcohol, Substance abuse, Underage drinking, Legal substances, Drugs
This practice seeks to reduce alcohol use or alcohol-related problems for adolescents and young adults via a short-term intervention (one to five sessions). The practice is rated Effective for reducing alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problem outcomes for adolescents and young adults.
Date Posted:
5/4/20
Practice Profile: Psychotherapy with Adults Sexually Abused in Childhood
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Trauma/PTSD
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Internalizing behavior
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Externalizing behavior
Children exposed to violence, Coping, Rape and sexual assault, Violent crime, Crime prevention, Mental health
This practice comprises therapeutic approaches for adults who were sexually abused in childhood, and is designed to improve psychological distress, reduce maladaptive behavior, or enhance adaptive behavior through counseling, structured or unstructured interaction, or a predetermined treatment plan. The practice is rated Promising for decreasing posttraumatic stress disorder, trauma, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms.
Date Posted:
4/14/20
Practice Profile: Kinship Care for Children Removed from Home for Maltreatment
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Multiple mental health/behavioral health outcomes
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Adaptive problems
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Emotional wellbeing
Victimization | Child abuse/neglect/maltreatment
Family Functioning | Out-of-home placement/permanency
Family Functioning | Reunification
Family Functioning | Attachment
Juvenile health, Mental health, Children exposed to violence, Family reunification, Foster care/child welfare system, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18)
An alternative to traditional foster care, this practice places children removed from home due to maltreatment with other members of their family or with friends of the family. This practice is rated Promising for reducing behavioral and adaptive problems, increasing child well-being, decreasing the number of placements, and reducing institutional abuse. The practice is rated Ineffective for increasing family reunification and attachment.
Date Posted:
3/10/20
Practice Profile: Martial Arts Participation and Juvenile Externalizing Behaviors
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Externalizing behavior
Mental health, Recreation
The term, “martial arts,” can be used to describe any number of styles or disciplines of self-defense practices. Traditional martial arts include judo, karate, and taekwondo; however, boxing is considered a modern martial art. The practice is rated Ineffective for reducing juveniles’ externalizing behaviors.
Date Posted:
2/24/20
Practice Profile: Rehabilitation Programs for Adults Convicted of a Crime
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Parole, Probation, Mental health, Drug courts, Mental health courts, Jails, Corrections, Community corrections, Inmate assistance programs, Prisons, Reentry, Drug abuse prevention and education, Drugs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Problem-solving courts, Prosecution, Law enforcement, Drug treatment
This practice includes programs that are designed to reduce recidivism among adults by improving their behaviors, skills, mental health, social functioning, and access to education and employment. They may become participants in rehabilitation programs during multiple points in their involvement with the criminal justice system. This practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism among adults who have been convicted of an offense.
Date Posted:
2/11/20
Practice Profile: Cyberbullying Prevention and Intervention Programs
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Bullying
Victimization | Cyberbullying victimization
Bullying, School safety, School climate, Schools, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18), Victimization
This practice comprises intervention and prevention programs that are designed to reduce or prevent negative online behaviors among school-aged children ages 9 to 19. Programs include individual-level, multi-level systemic, and universal or whole-school approaches. This practice is rated Effective for reducing cyberbullying perpetration and victimization.
Date Posted:
2/6/20
Practice Profile: School-Based Interventions to Reduce Exclusion
Education | Expulsion/Suspension
Juvenile health, Mental health, Dropout/expulsion, Truancy, Youth development, Jobs and workforce development, Positive youth development, Afterschool, School climate, School safety, Juvenile (under 18), Child health and welfare, Juvenile delinquency
School exclusion (more commonly known as suspension and expulsion) is broadly defined as a disciplinary measure imposed in reaction to students’ misbehavior. This practice comprises school-based programs that seek to decrease the prevalence of exclusion and thereby reduce the detrimental effects that suspensions or expulsion from schools may have on students’ learning outcomes and future training or employment opportunities. This practice is rated Effective for reducing school exclusion.
Date Posted:
2/5/20
Practice Profile: Family-based Treatment for Adolescent Delinquency and Problem Behaviors
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Externalizing behavior
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Multiple substances
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Psychological functioning
Education | Academic achievement/school performance
Mental health, Substance abuse, Case Management, Treatment, Drug abuse prevention and education, Drugs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Schools, Juvenile (under 18), Young adults (18-24), Drugs, Drug treatment
In general family-based treatment practices consist of a wide range of interventions that are designed to change dysfunctional family patterns that contribute to the onset and maintenance of adolescent delinquency and other problem behaviors. This practice is rated Effective for reducing recidivism, and Promising for reducing antisocial behavior and substance use, and improving psychological functioning and school performance.
Date Posted:
1/21/20
Practice Profile: Geographically Focused Policing Initiatives
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Community policing, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Situational crime prevention, Law enforcement, Law enforcement operations
Geographically focused policing initiatives increase the presence and visibility of police officers at specific high-crime locations to significantly reduce crime and disorder. This practice is rated Promising for reducing crime in treatment areas relative to control areas.
Date Posted:
12/11/19
Practice Profile: Day Reporting Centers
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Drug testing, Parole, Probation, Community corrections, Corrections, Recidivism, Crime prevention
This practice uses day reporting centers, which are nonresidential multiservice centers, to facilitate parolees’ reintegration back into the community through a combination of services and supervision. This practice is rated Ineffective for reducing criminal recidivism among adults who have been convicted of an offense.
Date Posted:
12/10/19
Practice Profile: Buprenorphine Maintenance Treatment
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Heroin/opioids
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Benzodiazepines
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Treatment Retention
Heroin, Illegal substances, Substance abuse, Drugs, Opioids
This is a medication-assisted treatment for individuals with opioid dependence. Similar to methadone, buprenorphine works by occupying the opioid receptor and blocking the high that usually comes from illicit opioid drug use; however, buprenorphine exerts a weaker effect at opioid receptor sites because it is a partial agonist. The practice is rated Effective for reducing heroin/opioid use and increasing retention in treatment; however, it is rated Ineffective for reducing use of benzodiazepines.
Date Posted:
10/28/19
Practice Profile: Methadone Maintenance Therapy
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Heroin/opioids
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Mortality
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Mortality
Heroin, Inmate assistance programs, Prisons, Inmate programs, Correctional facilities, Drugs, Substance abuse, Illegal substances, Opioids
This practice involves a medication-assisted treatment for individuals with opioid dependence. Methadone is a long-acting synthetic opioid analgesic that works as a pharmacologic intervention to prevent or reverse withdrawal symptoms, reduce opiate cravings, and bring about a biochemical balance in the body in order to reduce the illicit use of opioids. The practice is rated Effective for reducing use of heroin/opioids but rated No Effects for reducing criminal activity and mortality.
Date Posted:
10/28/19
Practice Profile: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Anger-Related Problems in Children and Adolescents
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Aggression
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Anger Experience
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Self-Control
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Problem-Solving
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Social Competencies
Mental health, Treatment, Juvenile detention, Juvenile justice
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a problem-focused, therapeutic approach that attempts to help people identify and change dysfunctional beliefs, thoughts, and patterns that contribute to their problem behaviors. This variant of CBT focuses specifically on children and adolescents who have anger-related problems. The practice is rated Effective for reducing aggression and anger expression, and improving self-control, problem-solving, and social competencies.
Date Posted:
10/28/19
Practice Profile: Preventive Child Maltreatment Programs
Victimization | Child abuse/neglect/maltreatment
Children exposed to violence, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18), Crime prevention, Crisis response
Preventive child maltreatment programs are designed to prevent physical child abuse or neglect by educating expectant and new parents in parenting skills, coping with stressors, and stimulating child development. This practice is rated Effective for preventing child abuse, neglect, and maltreatment.
Date Posted:
10/9/19
Practice Profile: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Antisocial Behavior in Youth in Residential Treatment
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Mental health, Treatment, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Juvenile delinquency, Juvenile detention, Juvenile justice
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a problem-focused, therapeutic approach that attempts to help people identify and change dysfunctional beliefs, thoughts, and patterns that contribute to their problem behaviors. This variant of CBT focuses specifically on youth in residential settings. This practice is rated Ineffective for reducing recidivism, at the 24-month follow-up period.
Date Posted:
9/26/19
Practice Profile: Male-Targeted, Sexual Assault-Prevention Program
Attitudes & Beliefs | Future Intentions of Being Sexually Aggressive
Victimization | Future Prevention Efforts
Crime & Delinquency | Sex-related offenses
Dating violence, Rape and sexual assault, Violent crime, Crime prevention, Intimate partner violence
This practice encompasses programs that are designed to reduce the prevalence of sexual assaults by targeting potential perpetrators directly. Programs include components designed to build empathy for victims, break down myths about rape, and train bystanders to intervene in potential assaults. The practice is rated Effective for reducing future intent to be sexually aggressive and for increasing future prevention efforts but is rated Ineffective for reducing actual sexual assault perpetration.
Date Posted:
9/23/19
Practice Profile: Halfway Houses
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Parole, Mental health, Recidivism, Courts
This practice comprises community-based correctional programs that use community supervision and intermediate sanctions to improve the likelihood of successful reintegration of returning individuals and promote community safety. The practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism of people who transitioned back into the community through halfway houses.
Date Posted:
9/3/19
Practice Profile: Wilderness Challenge Programs
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Social functioning
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Self-esteem
Education | School adjustment
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Locus of control
Young juvenile offenders, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Juvenile delinquency, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18), Juvenile detention, Juvenile justice, Schools, Mental health
Wilderness challenge programs are designed to help non-delinquent or delinquent youth who have behavioral issues build self-esteem and interpersonal skills through physical activity and social interaction. The practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism, improving interpersonal skills, increasing self-esteem, and improving school adjustment. The practice is rated Ineffective for encouraging participants’ beliefs in their ability to control the events that affect them.
Date Posted:
7/31/19
Practice Profile: Faith-Based Correctional Interventions
Crime & Delinquency | Institutional Misconduct
Attitudes & Beliefs | Antisocial beliefs/attitudes
Corrections, Religion, Inmate programs
This practice includes interventions that are designed to promote prosocial and religious messages, to change attitudes (including reducing criminal attitudes) and decrease institutional misconduct. This practice is rated Ineffective for reducing institutional misconduct and Ineffective for reducing antisocial beliefs.
Date Posted:
7/31/19
Practice Profile: Gang Membership Prevention Programs
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Gang Membership
Youth gangs, Gangs, Gang Crime, Crime prevention
This practice includes programs that are designed to deter youth from joining gangs. Programs can be delivered either to a universal population (i.e., all youth regardless of risk level), or to youth identified as being at-risk for gang membership. Programs include preventive awareness strategies and gang membership prevention strategies. The practice is rated Promising for reducing the likelihood that youth will join a gang.
Date Posted:
7/15/19
Practice Profile: Police-Initiated Diversion for Youth to Prevent Future Delinquent Behavior
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Community policing, Young juvenile offenders, Juvenile delinquency, Policing strategies, Juvenile (under 18), Crime prevention
This practice includes pre-court interventions or strategies that police can apply as an alternative to court processing or the imposition of formal charges against low-risk youth. This approach is designed to reduce reoffending by minimizing youth contact with the criminal justice system and divert youth toward services that address their psychosocial development and other needs that contribute to their at-risk behavior. The practice is rated Effective for reducing future delinquent behavior.
Date Posted:
5/30/19
Practice Profile: Early Self-Control Improvement Programs for Children
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Self-Control
Youth development, Juvenile (under 18), Juvenile delinquency, Child health and welfare
This practice consists of programs designed to increase self-control and reduce child behavior problems (e.g., conduct problems, antisocial behavior, and delinquency) with children up to age 10. Program types include social skills development, cognitive coping strategies, training/role playing, and relaxation training. This practice is rated Effective for improving self-control and reducing delinquency.
Date Posted:
11/27/18
Practice Profile: Swift, Certain, and Fair Supervision Strategies for Drug-Involved Individuals
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Drug testing, Parole, Probation, Community corrections, Corrections, Reentry, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Courts
The practice comprises supervision strategies used by community supervision officers to address violation behavior of drug-involved individuals on probation and parole who are being supervised in the community. The goals are to generate greater compliance with supervision terms and, as a result, reduce recidivism. The practice is rated Promising for reducing crime rates of drug-involved individuals supervised in the community.
Date Posted:
11/5/18
Practice Profile: Domestic Violence Courts
Crime & Delinquency | Violent offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Domestic violence courts, Problem-solving courts, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Intimate partner violence, Violent crime, Drugs
This specialty court practice follows the problem-solving court model, and is for individuals charged with domestic violence. In addition to judicial oversight, participants may receive other programming to address substance use or mental health issues or receive referrals to batterer intervention programs. Partnerships are established with judges, mental health workers, social services, and police. The practice is rated Promising for reducing general recidivism and violent, domestic recidivism.
Date Posted:
10/22/18
Practice Profile: Sports Participation and Juvenile Delinquency
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Recreation, Afterschool, Crime prevention, Schools, Child health and welfare
This practice includes activities that involve physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others. Sports participation may include team and individual sports; contact and noncontact sports; and activities that take place in and out of school. Sports participation has also been posited to have an impact on juvenile delinquency. This practice is rated No Effects. Participating in sports had no statistically significant effect on juvenile delinquency.
Date Posted:
10/15/18
Practice Profile: Interventions with Violent Adult Males Convicted of an Offense
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Crime & Delinquency | Violent offenses
Parole, Probation, Mental health, Intimate partner violence
This practice comprises interventions with violent adult males that aim to reduce their likelihood of reoffending, especially violent reoffending. Program components include anger control, cognitive skills and empathy training, and relapse prevention. The practice is rated Promising for reducing general reoffending and violent reoffending.
Date Posted:
10/15/18
Practice Profile: Crisis Intervention Teams (CITs)
Justice Systems or Processes | Use of Force
Justice Systems or Processes | Processing of offenders
Community policing, Jails, Corrections, Community corrections, Courts, Diversion, Law enforcement, Arrests
This practice comprises specialized police-led, pre-booking jail diversion responses to individuals with mental illness. The goals are to reduce police officers’ injuries and use of force, and to reduce arrests of individuals with mental illness. The practice is rated Ineffective for reducing arrests of individuals with mental illness and reducing trained police officers’ use of force in situations involving mentally ill individuals.
Date Posted:
10/9/18
Practice Profile: After-School Programs
Education | Math Achievement
Attitudes & Beliefs | Child Self-Perceptions
Education | School Bonding
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Social Behaviors
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Externalizing behavior
Education | Reading Achievement
Education | Academic achievement/school performance
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Multiple substances
Education | Attendance/truancy
Truancy, Afterschool, Drug abuse prevention and education, Drugs, Juvenile delinquency, Crime prevention, School safety, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18), Mental health, Juvenile delinquency, Mentoring, Drugs
After-school programs generally take place during after school hours and are designed decrease the amount of time youth are unsupervised. Examples of such programs may include recreation-based activities, mentoring, and tutoring services. The practice is rated Promising for child self-perceptions, school bonding, school grades, positive social behaviors, problem behaviors, readings scores, and mathematics scores and Ineffective for delinquency, drug use, and school attendance.
Date Posted:
10/2/18
Practice Profile: Wraparound Process for Children with Serious Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Multiple mental health/behavioral health outcomes
Family Functioning | Living Situation
Education | Multiple education outcomes
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Mental health, Case Management, Treatment, Recidivism, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18), Crime prevention, Juvenile delinquency
This practice is a team-based, collaborative process for developing and implementing individualized care plans for youth with serious emotional and behavioral disorders and their families. The practice is rated Promising for improving mental health outcomes, but rated Ineffective for measures related to youths’ living situations, school functioning, and recidivism outcomes.
Date Posted:
9/12/18
Practice Profile: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Based Anger Management for Adult Males Convicted of an Offense
Crime & Delinquency | Violent offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Parole, Probation, Recidivism, Crime prevention
The practice includes interventions that aim to increase adult males’ abilities to control their dysfunctional anger with the overall goal of reducing recidivism, especially violent recidivism. The practice is rated Promising for general reoffending and violent reoffending. Individuals who participated in the interventions had a reduced risk for reconviction for both general offending and violent offending.
Date Posted:
9/4/18
Practice Profile: Sexual Assault Education Programs on College Campuses
Attitudes & Beliefs | Rape-related Attitudes
Attitudes & Beliefs | Rape Attitudes
Campus Crime, Crime prevention, Rape and sexual assault, Violent crime, Schools, Victims of crime
This practice comprises programs that are designed to reduce the prevalence of sexual assaults on college campuses by reducing the rape-supportive ideology for those who may potentially perpetrate a crime, while increasing potential victims’ knowledge and awareness of risky situations, and thereby their safety. The practice is rated Effective for reducing rape attitudes (such as acceptance of rape myths and victim blaming) and rape-related attitudes (such as sex-role stereotyping and adversarial
Date Posted:
8/27/18
Practice Profile: Computerized Brief Interventions for Youth Alcohol Use
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Alcohol
Alcohol-Related Offenses, Alcohol, Underage drinking, Computers, Legal substances, Drugs, Substance abuse, Juvenile (under 18)
A computerized brief intervention is any preventive or therapeutic activity delivered through electronic devices with a maximum total time of one hour. The interventions are designed to help youth think differently about their alcohol use and provide them with skills to reduce or eliminate alcohol use. The practice is rated Effective for reducing short-term alcohol use.
Date Posted:
8/14/18
Practice Profile: Bystander Education Programs for Sexual Assault Prevention on High School and College Campuses
Attitudes & Beliefs | Bystander Efficacy
Attitudes & Beliefs | Intent to Help
Attitudes & Beliefs | Rape Myth Acceptance
Attitudes & Beliefs | Rape Supportive Attitudes
Victimization | Actual Helping Behavior
Crime prevention, Rape and sexual assault, Violent crime, Juvenile (under 18), Campus Crime, Schools, Victims of crime
This practice comprises programs designed to decrease the prevalence of sexual assault among adolescents and college students by educating would-be bystanders (i.e., witnesses) about sexual assault, and promoting the willingness to intervene in risky situations. The practice is rated Effective for reducing rape myth acceptance, increasing bystander efficacy, and increasing intent to help. It is rated Promising for increasing bystander helping behavior and decreasing rape supportive attitudes.
Date Posted:
8/14/18
Practice Profile: Contingency Management Interventions for Substance Use Disorders
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Multiple substances
Substance abuse
This is an intervention strategy designed to reduce substance use disorders by rewarding positive behavior (e.g., negative drug tests) and withholding rewards when undesired behavior is exhibited (e.g., positive drug screens). The overall goal is abstinence from substance use. The practice is rated Effective for reducing alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use.
Date Posted:
8/7/18
Practice Profile: Prison Visitation for Incarcerated Adults
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Corrections, Recidivism, Crime prevention
Prison visitation allows incarcerated individuals the opportunity to meet with family and friends to sustain connections and social supports. One of the main goals of prison visitation is to reduce recidivism of individuals once they are released from incarceration. The practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism of individuals who receive visits while incarcerated.
Date Posted:
8/7/18
Practice Profile: Restorative Justice Programs for Juveniles
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Attitudes & Beliefs | Victims perceptions of fairness
Justice Systems or Processes | Compliance with restitution/fines/payments
Justice Systems or Processes | Reparations by offending individual
Attitudes & Beliefs | Offender satisfaction
Attitudes & Beliefs | Victim satisfaction
Attitudes & Beliefs | Remorse
Attitudes & Beliefs | Recognition of wrongdoing
Restitution, Juvenile courts, Diversion, Youth/peer courts, Victims of crime, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Juvenile delinquency
Restorative justice programs aim to repair the harm to the victim, decrease recidivism, and improve perceptions of fairness and satisfaction with the process. The practice is rated Promising for reducing juveniles’ recidivism rates, increasing victims’ perceptions of fairness, and increasing juveniles’ completion of restitution and reparation. It is rated No Effects for juveniles’ recognition of wrongdoing or remorse, and satisfaction of the victim or young person committing the offense.
Date Posted:
7/25/18
Practice Profile: Adult Reentry Programs
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Mental health, Reentry courts, Jails, Prisons, Correctional facilities, Corrections, Inmate programs, Probation, Community corrections, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Problem-solving courts, Law enforcement
This practice involves correctional programs that focus on the transition of individuals from prison into the community. Reentry programs involve treatment or services that have been initiated while the individual is in custody and a follow-up component after the individual is released. The practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism.
Date Posted:
7/9/18
Practice Profile: Disorder Policing
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Crime & Delinquency | Drug and alcohol offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Violent offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Property offenses
Alcohol-Related Offenses, Community policing, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Environmental design, Situational crime prevention, Policing strategies, Juvenile delinquency, Arrests, Substance abuse, Legal substances, Drugs, Public order offenses
This is a policing strategy to reduce crime and delinquency by focusing efforts on disorderly neighborhood conditions and minor crime offenses. This practice is rated Effective for reducing multiple types of crime and delinquency, and rated Promising for reducing specific types of crimes, including property, violent, and drug and alcohol offenses.
Date Posted:
2/15/18
Practice Profile: Pretrial Interventions for Ensuring Appearance in Court
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Justice Systems or Processes | Failure-to-Appear
Release on Recognizance, Pretrial
During the pretrial process, defendants may be released on certain conditions. To ensure that released defendants show up to their court date, jurisdictions have used three strategies: 1) court-date reminder notifications, 2) bonds, and 3) supervision in the community. The goal of is to reduce the failure-to-appear rates of defendants. Across the three strategies, the practice is rated Promising for decreasing failure-to-appear rates but rated Ineffective for reducing arrest rates.
Date Posted:
1/10/18
Practice Profile: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for Children with PTSD
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Trauma/PTSD
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Anxiety Disorders
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Internalizing behavior
Juvenile health, Mental health, Children exposed to violence, Trauma, Treatment
This individual therapy practice aims to help children recover from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through short imaginal exposure to the memory and subsequent stimuli to trigger eye movement. The practice is rated Promising for trauma/PTSD measures and Ineffective for measures of major depressive disorders and anxiety disorders.
Date Posted:
12/7/17
Practice Profile: Alley Gating in the United Kingdom
Crime & Delinquency | Property offenses
Burglary, Larceny/theft, Situational crime prevention
This is a situational crime-prevention strategy, mainly implemented in the United Kingdom, that uses lockable gates to control access to alleys behind rows of homes, where crimes frequently occur. The practice is rated Promising for reducing property offenses.
Date Posted:
8/22/17
Practice Profile: Juvenile Transfer to Adult Court
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Juvenile courts, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Problem-solving courts, Juvenile delinquency, Juvenile justice, Prosecution
All states have mechanisms in place (including judicial waivers, statutory exclusions, and prosecutorial direct-files) that allow for juveniles (who commit certain serious or violent offenses) to be transferred for prosecution in the adult criminal court system. The practice is rated Ineffective for multiple crime/delinquency types. Youths transferred to adult court had slightly higher odds of recidivating, compared with nontransferred youth; however, this result was nonsignificant.
Date Posted:
3/27/17
Practice Profile: Programs to Reduce Dating and Sexual Violence for Youth and Young Adults
Attitudes & Beliefs | Dating violence knowledge
Attitudes & Beliefs | Dating violence attitudes
Crime & Delinquency | Violent offenses
Victimization | Bystander behavior and intentions
Crime & Delinquency | Sex-related offenses
Victimization | Sexual abuse/exploitation
Victimization | Domestic/intimate partner/family violence
Dating violence, School safety, Campus Crime, School climate, Juvenile delinquency, Crime prevention, Juvenile (under 18), Victimization, Intimate partner violence, Rape and sexual assault
This practice involves a range of prevention and intervention programs that are designed to address problems associated with dating violence for youth and young adults. The practice is rated Effective for reducing the perpetration of dating violence and improving dating violence knowledge and attitudes. The practice is rated No Effects for reducing dating and sexual violence victimization, reducing sexual violence perpetration, and for improving bystander behaviors.
Date Posted:
10/3/16
Practice Profile: Gender-Specific Programming for Incarcerated Females
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Mental health, Corrections, Correctional facilities, Prisons, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Drugs
The practice involves in-prison substance abuse and other types of treatment programs for incarcerated women with the goal of reducing recidivism. The practice is rated Promising. Women who participated in the treatment were significantly less likely to recidivate after release than women who did not participate in the treatment.
Date Posted:
9/12/16
Practice Profile: Juvenile Curfew Laws
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Young juvenile offenders, Crime prevention, Child health and welfare
Juvenile curfew laws are designed to restrict juveniles (below ages 17 or 18) from public places during specific hours such as nighttime (e.g., between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.) or during the school day (e.g., 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.). The primary purpose is to reduce juvenile crime and victimization by keeping them at home with their families or in school. This practice is rated Ineffective for reducing juvenile crime during curfew hours.
Date Posted:
8/22/16
Practice Profile: Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners for Forensic Examinations in Cases of Sexual Assault/Rape
Victimization | Treatment for Sexually Transmitted Infections
Victimization | Administration of Emergency Contraception
Victimization | Rape Kits Collected
Juvenile health, Treatment, Violent crime, Rape and sexual assault, Violent crime, Victims of crime, Crisis response
This practice uses qualified nurses who are trained to collect forensic evidence in cases of rape and sexual assault (of both adults and children). The practice is rated Effective for providing treatment for sexually transmitted infections and emergency contraception to sexual assault/rape victims but is rated Ineffective for the proportion of complainants who had a rape kit collected.
Date Posted:
8/22/16
Practice Profile: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Adults at Moderate- and High-Risk of Offending
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Mental health
This is a problem-focused, therapeutic approach that attempts to help people identify and change dysfunctional beliefs, thoughts, and patterns of behavior that contribute to their problems. For adults, CBT teaches them how cognitive deficits, distortion, and flawed thinking processes can lead to criminal behavior. The practice is rated Promising for reducing crime committed by moderate- and high-risk adults.
Date Posted:
2/9/16
Practice Profile: Corporate Crime Deterrence
Crime & Delinquency | Public Order Offenses (Law)
Crime & Delinquency | Public Order Offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Public Order Offenses (Punitive Sanctions)
Environmental offenses, Money laundering, Regulatory offenses, Sanctions, Courts, Public order offenses, Crime prevention
These deterrence strategies are formal legal and administrative prevention and control tactics designed to prevent the occurrence of corporate crime. Strategies could include laws, regulatory policies, or punitive sanctions. The practice is rated Ineffective for reducing individual- and company-level corporate crime.
Date Posted:
2/9/16
Practice Profile: Advocacy Interventions for Women Who Experience Intimate Partner Violence
Victimization | Domestic/intimate partner/family violence
Violent crime, Victims of crime, Victimization, Crisis response
This practice uses advocacy interventions to empower women who have experienced intimate partner violence. The goals of advocacy interventions include helping abused women to access necessary services, reducing or preventing incidents of abuse, and improving women’s physical and psychological health. The practice is rated No Effects for reducing physical abuse. (This Practice was originally rated Promising. See “Other Information” in the practice profile for further discussion of that change).
Date Posted:
1/11/16
Practice Profile: Juvenile Reentry Programs
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Parole, Probation, Reentry, Comprehensive/wraparound services, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Juvenile delinquency, Juvenile detention
This practice consists of reintegrative programs and services designed to prepare juveniles, who were placed out of their homes, for reentry into the community. The overall goal is to reduce the recidivism rate of juveniles released from out-of-home placements. The practice is rated Promising. There was a statistically significant decrease in the recidivism rates of juveniles who participated in the reentry programs, compared with juveniles in the comparison groups.
Date Posted:
1/4/16
Practice Profile: Incarceration-based Therapeutic Communities for Juveniles
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Substance abuse, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Corrections, Juvenile justice, Juvenile delinquency, Juvenile detention, Drugs
This practice employs a comprehensive, residential drug-treatment program model for substance-abusing and addicted juveniles to foster changes in attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors related to substance use. The practice is rated Ineffective for reducing recidivism after release for participants in therapeutic communities.
Date Posted:
12/28/15
Practice Profile: Incarceration-based Therapeutic Communities for Adults
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Corrections, Correctional facilities, Prisons, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Drugs
This practice uses a comprehensive, residential drug treatment program model for treating substance-abusing and addicted inmates to foster changes in attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors related to substance use. The practice is rated Promising in reducing recidivism rates after release for participants in therapeutic communities.
Date Posted:
12/7/15
Practice Profile: Incarceration-based Narcotics Maintenance Treatment
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Multiple substances
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Heroin, Jails, Correctional facilities, Corrections, Prisons, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Drugs, Opioids
This practice attempts to reduce harms associated with drug dependency by prescribing synthetic opioid medication to opioid-addicted individuals who are in prison or jail. The practice is rated Ineffective for reducing recidivism. A meta-analysis found that incarcerated persons in narcotics maintenance treatment have significantly greater odds of recidivating than comparison subjects. However, the practice is rated Promising for decreasing the odds of drug relapse post-release.
Date Posted:
12/7/15
Practice Profile: Universal Teacher Classroom Management Practices
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Aggression
School safety, School climate, Juvenile (under 18)
This practice includes classroom management techniques and programs for teaching prosocial behaviors and reducing or preventing inappropriate or aggressive behaviors of students in K–12th grades. This practice is rated Effective in reducing disruptive, inappropriate, and aggressive behavior in students. Test
Date Posted:
11/23/15
Practice Profile: Street-Level Drug Law Enforcement
Crime & Delinquency | Drug and alcohol offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Violent Offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Property Offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Public order offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Problem-oriented policing, Law enforcement operations, Public order offenses
This practice includes targeted-policing approaches for reducing drug and drug-related offenses. This practice is rated Promising in reducing reported, drug-related calls for services and offenses against persons. This practice is rated Ineffective in reducing reported property offenses, public order calls for service, and total offenses.
Date Posted:
10/27/15
Practice Profile: School-Based Conflict Resolution Education
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Multiple juvenile problem/at-risk behaviors
School safety, Youth development, Positive youth development, Juvenile (under 18)
This practice aims to reduce school-based conflict and encourage long-term prosocial behavior. It teaches students to understand the nature of the conflict and provides options for responding. This practice is rated Promising for multiple problem or at-risk behaviors. Student participants in the programs reported significantly fewer antisocial behaviors than students in the control group.
Date Posted:
9/28/15
Practice Profile: Treatment in Secure Corrections for Serious Juveniles Who Have Committed Serious or Multiple Offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Serious recidivism
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Assault, Homicide, Kidnapping, Robbery, Mental health, Intake/assessment, Violent offenders, Treatment, Case Management, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Juvenile justice, Juvenile delinquency, Juvenile detention, Courts, Drugs, Drug treatment
This practice includes interventions targeting serious (violent and chronic) juveniles sentenced to serve time in secure corrections. The overall goal is to decrease recidivism rates when juveniles are released and return to the community. The practice is rated Effective for reducing general recidivism and serious recidivism of violent and chronically offending juveniles.
Date Posted:
9/14/15
Practice Profile: Universal School-Based Prevention and Intervention Programs for Aggressive and Disruptive Behavior
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors
School safety, Juvenile (under 18), Child health and welfare
Universal school-based prevention and intervention programs for aggressive and disruptive behavior target elementary, middle, and high school students in a universal setting, rather than focusing on only a selective group of students, with the intention of preventing or reducing violent, aggressive, or disruptive behaviors. The practice is rated Effective in reducing violent, aggressive, and/or disruptive behaviors in students.
Date Posted:
9/8/15
Practice Profile: Therapeutic Approaches for Sexually Abused Children and Adolescents
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Trauma/PTSD
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Externalizing behavior
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Internalizing behavior
Children exposed to violence, Trauma, Treatment, Juvenile (under 18), Child health and welfare, Victims of crime
Interventions designed to reduce the negative effects of child sexual abuse, which can include PTSD, internalizing behaviors, and externalizing behaviors. The practice is rated Effective for reducing PTSD symptoms, internalizing behaviors, and externalizing behaviors.
Date Posted:
8/31/15
Practice Profile: Targeted School-Based Social Information-Processing Interventions for Aggression
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Aggression
School safety, Positive youth development, Alternative schools, School safety, Juvenile (under 18), Child health and welfare
This practice examines targeted prevention efforts for particular students that attempt to improve one or more aspects of the students’ social information processing, aiming to prevent and/or reduce aggressive or violent behavior in school-aged children. The practice is rated Effective for reducing aggressive behavior in school-aged children.
Date Posted:
8/17/15
Practice Profile: Opiate Maintenance Therapy for Persons for Persons Who Use Heroin and Cocaine
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Heroin/opioids
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Cocaine/crack cocaine
Cocaine, Heroin, Corrections, Drugs, Inmate programs, Illegal substances, Substance abuse, Opioids
A medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence, including methadone, buprenorphine, and Levo-Alpha-Acetymethadol (LAAM). The overall goals are to help opioid-addicted patients alleviate withdrawal symptoms, reduce or suppress opiate cravings, and reduce the illicit use of opioids (such as heroin). The practice is rated Effective for achieving higher sustained heroin abstinence for persons who abuse heroin and cocaine abusers, but Ineffective for cocaine abstinence.
Date Posted:
8/3/15
Practice Profile: Metal Detectors and Security Screenings at Airports as a Counterterrorism Strategy
Crime & Delinquency | Terrorism and mass violence offenses
Crime prevention
Counterterrorism includes strategies, policies, practices, interventions, or tactics that are designed to prevent or respond to terrorism. Target hardening at airports is an example of a defensive counterterrorism intervention that is designed to increase the detection of potential terrorism by placing metal detectors in airports and increasing security screening of passengers before they board planes. This practice is rated Promising for significantly reducing events of airplane hijackings.
Date Posted:
8/3/15
Practice Profile: Dropout Prevention Programs
Education | Dropout
Education | Academic achievement/school performance
Education | Graduation
Education | Attendance/truancy
Dropout/expulsion, School safety, Truancy, Afterschool, Alternative schools, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18), Mentoring
School- or community-based programs targeting frequently absent students or students at risk of dropping out of school. These programs are aimed at increasing school engagement, school attachment, and the academic performance of students, with the main objective of increasing graduation rates. The practice is rated Effective for reducing rates of school dropouts, and rated Promising for improving test scores/grades, graduation rates, and attendance.
Date Posted:
7/20/15
Practice Profile: Universal School-Based Social Information Processing Interventions for Aggression
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Aggression
Dropout/expulsion, School safety, School climate, Schools, School safety, Juvenile (under 18)
School-based violence prevention interventions that target social information-processing difficulties in students, aiming to reduce the aggressive and disruptive behavior of school-aged children. The practice is rated Promising for reducing aggressive behavior in school-aged children.
Date Posted:
4/6/15
Practice Profile: School-Based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Multiple juvenile problem/at-risk behaviors
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Internalizing behavior
Mental health, School safety, Youth development, School climate, Juvenile (under 18), Child health and welfare
Designed to foster the development of five interrelated sets of cognitive, affective, and behavioral competencies, in order to provide a foundation for better adjustment and academic performance in students, which can result in more positive social behaviors, fewer conduct problems, and less emotional distress. The practice was rated Effective in reducing students’ conduct problems and emotional stress.
Date Posted:
3/23/15
Practice Profile: Adult Mental Health Courts
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Multiple mental health/behavioral health outcomes
Mental health courts, Problem-solving courts, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Diversion, Drugs, Drug treatment
Specialized, treatment-oriented, problem-solving courts that divert mentally ill persons away from the criminal justice system and into court-mandated, community-based treatment programs in order to reduce recidivism and decrease the amount of contact that mentally ill individuals have with the criminal justice system. The practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism but rated Ineffective on measures of clinical outcomes.
Date Posted:
3/23/15
Practice Profile: Improved Street Lighting
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Crime & Delinquency | Property offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Violent offenses
Environmental design, Situational crime prevention
A crime prevention strategy that aims to improve the lighting on streets to reduce crime through modifying and improving environmental measures. The practice is rated Promising for reducing crime and property offenses but rated Ineffective for violent offenses.
Date Posted:
3/9/15
Practice Profile: Juvenile Diversion Programs
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Drug courts, Juvenile courts, Diversion, Treatment, Victims of crime, Recidivism, Juvenile delinquency, Crime prevention, Problem-solving courts
An intervention strategy that redirects youths away from formal processing in the juvenile justice system, while still holding them accountable for their actions. The practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism rates of juveniles who participated in diversion programming compared with juveniles who were formally processed in the justice system.
Date Posted:
2/23/15
Practice Profile: Treatment for Adults Who Have Committed Sex Offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Crime & Delinquency | Sex-related offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Violent offenses
Child pornography, Sex offenders, Mental health, Sex offender management, Corrections, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Rape and sexual assault, Violent crime
A variety of psychological interventions, cognitive–behavioral treatments, and behavioral therapies targeting adults convicted of sex offenses with the overall aim of reducing the risk and potential harm associated with releasing this population back into the community. The practice is rated Promising for reducing rates of general recidivism and sexual recidivism but rated Ineffective on violent recidivism rates.
Date Posted:
2/23/15
Practice Profile: Therapeutic Treatment for Juveniles Having Committed Sex Offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Crime & Delinquency | Sex-related offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Violent offenses
Sex offenders, Sex offender management, Violent offenders, Treatment, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Rape and sexual assault, Juvenile delinquency, Violent crime
This practice includes a variety of treatment modalities (including cognitive-behavioral therapy, relapse prevention, and multisystemic therapy), which are designed to reduce the risks and harms associated with juveniles at risk of committing sexual offenses. The practice is rated Promising for reducing juveniles’ rates of general recidivism but rated No Effects for reducing sexual recidivism and violent recidivism.
Date Posted:
2/2/15
Practice Profile: Interventions Targeting Street-Connected Youth
Family Functioning | Family functioning
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Alcohol
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Internalizing behavior
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Psychological functioning
Juvenile health, Mental health, Missing children, Substance abuse, Underage drinking, Family reunification, Foster care/child welfare system, Jobs and workforce development, Juvenile delinquency, Crime prevention, Juvenile (under 18), Alcohol, Legal substances, Drugs
Interventions that aim to improve the situation of street-connected children and young people. The practice is rated Effective for family functioning, but Ineffective for alcohol use, depression levels, delinquent behaviors, and internalizing behaviors.
Date Posted:
1/28/15
Practice Profile: Reducing Gun Violence
Crime & Delinquency | Violent offenses
Weapons violations, Gun violence, Problem-oriented policing, Violent crime, Crime prevention, Policing strategies
Reducing gun violence is a persistent public policy concern for communities, policymakers and leaders. To reduce gun violence, several strategies have been deployed including public health approaches (e.g., training and safe gun storage); gun buy-back programs; gun laws; and law enforcement strategies. The practice is rated Promising for reducing violent gun offenses.
Date Posted:
10/17/14
Practice Profile: Problem-Oriented Policing
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Community policing, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Crime prevention
These analytic methods are used by police to develop crime prevention and reduction strategies. The practice is rated Promising and led to a significant decline in crime and disorder.
Date Posted:
9/16/14
Practice Profile: Motivational Interviewing for Substance Abuse
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Multiple substances
Alcohol-Related Offenses, Cocaine, Marijuana, Alcohol, Juvenile (under 18)
A client-centered, semidirective psychological treatment approach that concentrates on improving and strengthening individuals’ motivations to change. The practice is rated Effective. Individuals in the treatment groups significantly reduced their use of substances compared to those in the no-treatment control groups.
Date Posted:
9/11/14
Practice Profile: Noncustodial Employment Programs for Individuals with Recent Criminal Records
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Barriers to ex-offender employment, Reentry, Recidivism, Corrections, Crime prevention, Employment initiatives
This practice involves job training and career development for people with a recent criminal record in order to increase employment and reduce recidivism. These programs take place outside of the traditional custodial correctional setting, after they are released. The practice is rated Ineffective in reducing criminal behavior for participants in noncustodial employment training programs compared with those who did not participate.
Date Posted:
8/26/14
Practice Profile: School-Based Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Programs
Victimization | Child abuse/neglect/maltreatment
Victimization | Protective behavior skills
Victimization | Prevention-related knowledge and skills
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Internalizing behavior
Rape and sexual assault, Juvenile (under 18), Child health and welfare, Crime prevention
This practice comprises school-based programs that are designed to reduce the occurrence of sexual abuse in children and adolescents. The practice is rated Promising for increasing children’s prevention-related knowledge and Effective for increasing protective behaviors and disclosures of previous or current sexual abuse. The practice is rated No Effects for decreasing child self-reported anxiety or fear.
Date Posted:
7/29/14
Practice Profile: Correctional Work Industries
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Corrections, Correctional facilities, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention
Correctional work industries are designed to provide work experiences for incarcerated persons while they are incarcerated. The practice is rated Promising for reducing crime and delinquency. Those who participated in correctional work industry programs were significantly less likely to recidivate than those who did not participate.
Date Posted:
6/9/14
Practice Profile: Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Surveillance
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Crime & Delinquency | Property offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Vehicle crime
Crime & Delinquency | Violent offenses
Burglary, Larceny/theft, Motor vehicle theft, Sensors/Surveillance, Surveillance, Witnesses, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Situational crime prevention, Law enforcement operations, Law enforcement, Violent crime, Equipment and technology
Public surveillance systems include a network of cameras and components for monitoring, recording, and transmitting video images. Public surveillance cameras are designed to reduce both property and personal crime. This practice is rated Promising for reducing overall crime, property crime, and vehicle crime, and rated No Effects for impacting violent crime.
Date Posted:
6/9/14
Practice Profile: Mass Media Campaigns to Prevent Illicit Drug Use of Youth
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Multiple substances
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Intentions to use drugs
Substance abuse, Juvenile (under 18)
These antidrug mass media campaigns concentrate on preventing, reducing, or stopping the illicit drug use of young people (which generally includes individuals 26 and younger), because initiation of substance use typically begins during adolescence or young adulthood. The practice is rated Ineffective on illicit drug use and intentions to use drugs.
Date Posted:
5/30/14
Practice Profile: Corrections-Based Adult Basic/Secondary Education
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Employment & Socioeconomic Status | Job placement
Parole, Corrections, Community corrections, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Employment initiatives, Inmate assistance programs
Adult basic education classes for incarcerated adults provide basic skills instruction in arithmetic, reading, and writing. The practice is rated Promising in reducing recidivism (including reoffending, rearrest, reconviction, reincarceration, and technical parole violation); and Promising in employment and socioeconomic status - job placement outcomes. Those who participated in the education programs were significantly more likely to find employment.
Date Posted:
5/20/14
Practice Profile: Corrections-Based Vocational Training Programs
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Employment & Socioeconomic Status | Job placement
Prisons, Corrections, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Employment initiatives, Inmate assistance programs
Vocational training or career technical education programs in prison are designed to teach incarcerated persons about general employment skills or skills needed for specific jobs and industries. The practice is rated Promising in reducing recidivism, and in having a significant impact on participants obtaining employment following release from prison. Their odds were 28 percent higher than those who had not participated in training.
Date Posted:
5/14/14
Practice Profile: Postsecondary Correctional Education (PSCE)
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Corrections, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention
Postsecondary correctional education is academic or vocational coursework taken beyond a high school diploma or equivalent that allows inmates to earn credit while they are incarcerated. The practice is rated Promising in reducing recidivism (including reoffending, rearrest, reconviction, reincarceration, and technical parole violation) for inmates who participated compared to nonparticipants.
Date Posted:
5/13/14
Practice Profile: Bullying Prevention Programs
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors | Bullying
Victimization | Overall bullying victimization
Victimization | Relational bullying victimization
Victimization | Physical bullying victimization
Victimization | Bystander intervention
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Empathy for the victim
Victimization | Verbal bullying victimization
Bullying, School safety, School climate, Schools, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18), Victimization, Mental health, Victims of crime
The practice includes programs designed to reduce bullying perpetration and victimization and to increase positive bystander behavior in bullying situations. The practice is rated Effective for reducing bullying perpetration (e.g., overall and physical), reducing bullying victimization (e.g., overall and relational), and increasing positive bystander behavior. The practice is rated Ineffective for increasing bystander empathy for bullying victims and reducing verbal bullying victimization.
Date Posted:
3/7/14
Practice Profile: Interventions for Persons Who Committed Intimate-Partner Violence: Duluth Model
Crime & Delinquency | Violent offenses
Victimization | Domestic/intimate partner/family violence
Recidivism, Crime prevention, Victimization, Victims of crime
This practice employs a feminist psychoeducational approach with group-facilitated exercises to change abusive and threatening behavior in males who engage in domestic violence. The practice is rated Effective for reducing recidivism with respect to violent offenses and Promising in reducing victimization. The results found fewer partner reports of violence in the intervention group relative to the comparison groups.
Date Posted:
9/13/13
Practice Profile: Psychotherapies for Victims of Sexual Assault
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Trauma/PTSD
Coping, Rape and sexual assault, Violent crime, Crime prevention, Mental health, Victims of crime
This practice examines interventions for adult sexual assault victims that reduce psychological distress, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and rape trauma through counseling, structured or unstructured interaction, training programs, or predetermined treatment plans. The practice is rated Effective in reducing symptoms of trauma and PTSD in victims of sexual assault and rape.
Date Posted:
9/13/13
Practice Profile: Interventions for Persons Who Committed Intimate-Partner Violence: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Crime & Delinquency | Violent offenses
Victimization | Domestic/intimate partner/family violence
Recidivism, Crime prevention, Victimization, Violent crime, Victims of crime
The practice includes interventions that are designed to reduce partner violence by identifying and changing the thought processes leading to violent acts and teaching new skills to control and change their behavior. These interventions use cognitive behavioral therapy as applied in a domestic violence setting. The practice is rated No Effects in recidivism outcomes for violent offenses and ineffective in reducing victimization.
Date Posted:
9/12/13
Practice Profile: Second Responder Programs
Crime & Delinquency | Violent offenses
Victimization | Domestic/intimate partner/family violence
Elder abuse, Problem-oriented policing, Older Victims, Victimization, Crime prevention, Victims of crime, Crisis response
These programs consist of home visits by a crisis response team to follow-up on the initial police response to reports of family violence. The practice is rated No Effect for violent offenses —s the odds of reporting new abuse to the police were slightly higher for households that were assigned to receive a home visit through a second responder program. The practice is rated Ineffective on victimization (i.e. the intervention had no statistically significant effect on victims' reports of abuse).
Date Posted:
9/12/13
Practice Profile: Focused Deterrence Strategies
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Assault, Gun violence, Homicide, Violent offenders, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Sentencing, Courts, Juvenile (under 18)
This practice (also referred to as “pulling-levers policing”) includes problem-oriented policing strategies that follow the core principles of deterrence theory. The strategies target specific criminal behavior committed by a small number of individuals who chronically commit offenses, such as youth gang members or those who repeatedly commit violent offenses, who are vulnerable to sanctions and punishment. The practice is rated Promising for reducing crime.
Date Posted:
9/11/13
Practice Profile: Adult Boot Camps
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Recidivism, Crime prevention
Correctional boot camps (also called shock or intensive incarceration programs) are short-term residential programs that resemble military basic training and target convicted adults. The practice is rated Ineffective and found not to reduce recidivism. The likelihood of boot camp participants recidivating was roughly equal to the likelihood of comparison participants recidivating.
Date Posted:
9/11/13
Practice Profile: Mentoring for Youth Development
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Education | Multiple education outcomes
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Psychological functioning
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Cognitive functioning
Mental Health & Behavioral Health | Social functioning
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Multiple substances
Schools, Juvenile health, Mental health, Substance abuse, Underage drinking, Truancy, Youth development, Positive youth development, Afterschool, Juvenile delinquency, Crime prevention, Juvenile (under 18), Child health and welfare, Drugs
This practice provides youth with a positive and consistent adult or older youth relationship to promote healthy youth development and social functioning and to reduce risk factors. The practice is rated Effective in reducing delinquency and improving educational outcomes; Promising in improving psychological outcomes and cognitive functioning; and No Effects in reducing substance use.
Date Posted:
9/10/13
Practice Profile: Targeted Truancy Interventions
Education | Attendance/truancy
Truancy, Juvenile (under 18), Child health and welfare, Mentoring
These interventions are designed to increase attendance for elementary and secondary school students with chronic attendance problems. The practice is rated Effective for improving attendance.
Date Posted:
9/10/13
Practice Profile: Juvenile Awareness Programs (Scared Straight)
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Crime prevention, Juvenile delinquency, Juvenile detention, Juvenile justice
Deterrence-oriented programs that involve organized visits to adult prison facilities for justice-involved and at-risk youth at-risk. The practice is rated Ineffective. The evaluation found that participation in these types of programs increases the odds that youth will commit offenses in the future. Consequently, recidivism rates were, on average, higher for participants compared to juveniles who went through regular case processing.
Date Posted:
9/10/13
Practice Profile: Juvenile Drug Courts
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Crime & Delinquency | Drug and alcohol offenses
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Multiple substances
Drug courts, Juvenile courts, Substance abuse, Diversion, Treatment, Problem-solving courts, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Juvenile justice, Juvenile delinquency, Alcohol, Legal substances
Juvenile drug courts are dockets within juvenile courts for cases involving substance abusing youth in need of specialized treatment services. The focus is on providing treatment to eligible, drug-involved juveniles with the goal of reducing recidivism and substance abuse. The practice is rated Promising in reducing recidivism rates, and Ineffective for reducing drug-related offenses or drug use.
Date Posted:
9/10/13
Practice Profile: Formal System Processing for Juveniles
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Juvenile courts, Diversion, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Juvenile delinquency, Sanctions
The practice of using traditional juvenile justice system processing in lieu of alternative sanctions to deal with juvenile criminal cases. The practice is rated Ineffective for reducing recidivism compared to the youth that were diverted from the system. Test
Date Posted:
9/10/13
Practice Profile: Juvenile Boot Camps
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Diversion, Access to education, Crime prevention, Recidivism, Juvenile delinquency, Juvenile detention, Juvenile (under 18)
Juvenile boots camps, also called shock or intensive incarceration programs, are short-term residential programs that resemble military basic training facilities and target adjudicated juveniles. The practice is rated Ineffective. The likelihood of boot camp participants recidivating was roughly equal to the likelihood of comparison participants recidivating.
Date Posted:
9/10/13
Practice Profile: Neighborhood Watch
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Victimization | Multiple victimization outcomes
Burglary, Motor vehicle theft, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Property crime, Situational crime prevention, Victimization
Also known as block watch, apartment watch, home watch, and community watch, these programs involve citizens trying to prevent crime in their neighborhood or community. Citizens remain alert for suspicious activities and report those activities to the police. The practice is rated Promising in reducing crime in the control area compared to the experimental area; and rated Ineffective in reducing victimization.
Date Posted:
9/9/13
Practice Profile: Adult Drug Courts
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Crime & Delinquency | Drug and alcohol offenses
Drugs & Substance Abuse | Multiple substances
Drug courts, Problem-solving courts, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Diversion, Alcohol, Legal substances
Drug courts are specialized courts that combine drug treatment with the legal and moral authority of the court in an effort to break the cycle of drug use and drug related crime.
Date Posted:
9/9/13
Practice Profile: Hot Spots Policing
Crime & Delinquency | Multiple crime/offense types
Crime & Delinquency | Violent offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Property offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Public order offenses
Crime & Delinquency | Drug and alcohol offenses
Weapons violations, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Policing strategies, Property crime, Crime prevention, Law enforcement, Crime prevention, Larceny/theft, Patrol, Law enforcement operations, Arrests, Law enforcement, Drugs, Public order offenses
Hot spots policing strategies focus on small geographic areas or places, usually in urban settings, where crime is concentrated. Through hot spots policing strategies, law enforcement agencies can focus limited resources in areas where crime is most likely to occur. This practice is rated Effective for reducing overall crime and rated Promising for reducing violent, property, public order, and drug and alcohol offenses.
Date Posted:
9/9/13
Practice Title: Community-Based Positive Youth Development Interventions to Prevent Violence
Juvenile Problem Behaviors or At-Risk Behaviors | Other problem behaviors
This practice seeks to prevent violence in youth by helping them build positive assets, such as developmental skills, prosocial norms, positive social identities, strong connections with peers and adults, and caring for others. The practice is rated Ineffective for reducing violence in youth.
Date Posted:
Practice Profile: Parent Training Programs for Juvenile Antisocial Behavior
Juvenile Problem Behaviors or At-Risk Behaviors | Other Problem Behaviors
Juvenile Problem Behaviors or At-Risk Behaviors | Other problem behaviors
Crime/Delinquency | Multiple crime/delinquency types
Juvenile Problem Behaviors or At-Risk Behaviors | Multiple juvenile problem behaviors or at-risk behavior
Family | Parenting skills
Family | Other Family
Family | Other Family
Family | Family functioning
Family | Other Family
Family | Other Family
Family | Other Family
Juvenile (under 18), Risk and protective factors, Parental influence, Family strengthening
This practice aims to treat and prevent antisocial behavior in young people. The practice is rated Promising for reducing oppositional/disruptive disorder, general antisocial behavior, and aversive parental behavior; and for improving parental competence, and parent-child interactions/relations. The practice is rated Ineffective for affecting aggressive behavior, delinquent behavior, parental cognitions, parental stress, parent relation/family quality, and parental psychopathology.
Date Posted:
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Inconclusive practices
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[note 1]
This rating was changed from No Effects to Ineffective in January 2025.
[note 2]
This rating was added in March 2025. Practice outcomes assigned this rating previously were rated as Ineffective.
Date Created: July 31, 2020