Evidence-Based Practices: Examined

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            According to Peter Greenwood in Changing Lives: Delinquency Prevention as Crime Control Policy, evidence-based practice involves the use of scientific principles and research to determine the evidence of program effectiveness and to develop a set of principles for the best program success. In delinquency prevention, this process includes many important components that need to be assessed. Including assessment of community and individual’s needs, the selection of successful programs, the development and evolving of programs, and the placement of at risk youth to particular programs, (2006).

Evidence-based practice can also assess a community. This involves determining strength and needs of the population, and of the programs that are in place in that community. The focus on how evidence-based practice can be implemented into these communities is an important subject because if the community does not approve of the practices then it will not be successful in that community.

            In an article by Peter Greenwood and Brandon Welsh, Promoting Evidence-Based Practice in Delinquency Prevention at State Level, it is expressed that although there are many positives to implementing Evidence-based practices there are also obstacles that are creating a delay in the enforcement of these successful practices, (2012). One of the obstacles that Greenwood and Welsh bring up is the funding stream on state levels. This is an obvious problem at the state level when it comes to the changing of policy. This is such a hardship because there are programs that have gained the support of the political and local communities. They have been supporting them and they do not want to stop the funding because they believe that they are working, when in fact they are not. An example of a non-successful program would be ones such as “Scared Straight.” If the funding were to go to the evidence-based practices they would see a much bigger success rate in juvenile delinquency prevention.

            Evidence-based practices are highly involved and complex. This can create another problem when trying to implement the programs into already developed in institutions. “Some communities get steered away from adopting some of the more complex models because the trainers of these models do not believe there is sufficient support or understanding of the tasks involved among key stakeholders,” (Greenwood and Welsh, 2012). It is obvious that this can be a dilemma because the if the training for these practices are not sufficient then the desired outcome will not be the same. Therefore it is extremely important to have capable facilitators to develop these institutions. This is what the authors are suggesting when they say that the models must have sufficient support. Though complex, the evidence-based practices will produce successful outcomes.

            In another article by Greenwood, Preventing and Reducing Youth Crime and Violence: Using Evidence-Based Practices, he explains how different jurisdictions who have put funding into the proven practices were not fully prepared for the challenges that the implementation of evidence-based practices would bring. However, now receiving the help at state level and developers of the programs, they have a better understanding of what it takes to make the program successful (2010). He also mentions that over time the program facilitators have become much better at coaching communities through the implementation process, in turn making the programs more successfully ran. Although the Evidenced based programming may be challenging and have obstacles that need to be worked around, with the correct funding, program developers and state level support the programs will continue to be successful, eventually eliminating unsuccessful programs.

           

            The hope for these evidence-based practices is to receive and for state funding to become more available and to use these practices more frequently in delinquency prevention. Even more importantly, for the programs to be accepted into communities and for them to become successful.  In the near future, these programs will continue to become more successful and will eventually eliminate the programs that are not successful.

References

Greenwood, Peter W. 2006. Changing Lives: Delinquency Prevention as Crime-

Control Policy. Chicago ,IL : University of Chicago Press.

Greenwood, Peter W. 2010. Preventing and Reducing Youth Crime and Violence:

            Using Evidence-Based Practices. Sacramento , CA : Governor's Office of Gang

            and Youth Violence Policy.

Greenwood, Peter W. 2012. Promoting Evidence-Based Practice in Delinquency

            Prevention at State Level. Criminology & Public Policy. Vol. 11. Issue 3.