Now more than ever, the criminal justice system, and the programs, policies, and practices within it, are subject to increased public scrutiny, due to well-founded concerns over effectiveness, fairness, and potential unintended consequences. One of the best means to address these concerns is to draw upon evidence-based approaches demonstrated to be effective through empirical research, rather than through anecdote, standard practice, or professional experience alone (National Institute of Justice, 2011). The goal of this book is to describe the most useful, actionable, and evidence-based solutions to many of the most pressing questions in the criminal justice system today. Specifically, this edited volume contains brief and accessible summaries of the best available research, alongside detailed descriptions of evidence-based practices, across different areas of the criminal justice system. It is written so that practitioners and researchers alike can use the text as reference tool in their work and in training the new generation of individuals working to improve the system. Researchers and practitioners in many areas of criminal justice – crime prevention, policing, courts (prosecution, defendants, judges), corrections, sanctions, and sentencing – can reference specific chapters in this book to guide their policy and practice decisions. Although theory is a guide for the practices described, the chapters will address practical issues in implementation and action. This book overcomes the limitations of previous criminal justice practice books in that it is written as a practice resource and reference guide and spans practices and policies across different sectors of the criminal justice system – from prevention to policing to sanctions and corrections. Each chapter contains a list of action items, based upon the best available scientific research, that can be implemented in practice to address key issues and long standing challenges in the criminal justice system.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. Evidence-Based Approaches and Implementation Challenges and Solutions Edelyn Verona and Bryanna Fox PART I: Crime Prevention 2. Social Disorganization Theory and Community-Based Interventions Charis E. Kubrin and Rebecca Tublitz 3. Evidence-Based Employment Practices to Reduce Offending Chae Jaynes, Kelly E. Kortright, and Mateus Rennó Santos 4. Mental Health Interventions and Crisis Response Teams Emily Torres, Kendall Smith, Lauren Fournier, and Edelyn Verona 5. Opioid Use Disorder, Infectious Disease, and Coordinated Harm Reduction in a Medical Setting Jason W. Wilson and Heather Henderson 6. Adult Victims of Violence: Outcomes and Services Jillian Turanovic and Szilvia Biro 7. Toward Evidence-Based Human Trafficking Prevention Joan A. Reid, Klejdis Bilali, Calli M. Cain, and Kaci Crook PART II: Juvenile Justice and Early Interventions 8. School-Based Prevention and Criminal Justice Ashley L. White 9. Evidence-Based Criminal Justice Practices: Current Status and Strategies for Successful Youth Outreach and Enrichment Programming McKenzie N. Berezin, Raquel E. Rose, and Shabnam Javdani 10. Juvenile Residential and Out of Home Placement: Programs & Interventions Svetlana Yampolskaya 11. Juvenile Justice Practices Narim Lee and Jennifer Peck 12. Youth Decision-Making and Juvenile Justice Policy Lillian A. Rodriguez Steen and Lindsay C. Malloy PART III: Predictors of Crime and Risk Assessment 13. Adverse Childhood Experiences and Offending: Strategies for Prevention, Intervention, and Building Resiliency Michael T. Baglivio 14. Early Psychosocial Risk Factors and Implications for Prevention David P. Farrington 15. Revisiting the Role of Sanction Risk Perceptions in Deterrence Policy Timothy C. Barnum and Greg Pogarsky 16. Sexual Offence Recidivism and Risk Assessment L. Maaike Helmus 17. Implementation Science and Evidence-Based Violence Risk Assessment Kevin Douglas PART IV: Policing 18. Evidence-Based Police Patrol Practices at Crime Hotspots Cory P. Haberman and Bradley J. O’Guinn 19. Police Technology Silas Patterson and Kenneth J. Novak 20. Drug Enforcement and Its Effectiveness Ojmarrh Mitchell and Alexander G. Toth 21. Evidence-Based Practices for Policing Domestic Violence Tara N. Richards, Gillian M. Pinchevsky, and Justin Nix 22. Interviewing and Interrogations: From the Third Degree to Science-Based Approaches Amelia Mindthoff and Christian A. Meissner 23. Evidence-Based Policing Reform and Building Community Relations Lexi Gill and Bryanna Fox PART V: The Courts 24. Evidence-Based Practices in Prosecution Raquel A. Hernandez, Sean Houlihan, and Brian D. Johnson 25. Defense Decision-Making and Practices Kelsey S. Henderson and Jacqueline G. Lee 26. Competence to Stand Trial: Evaluation and Restoration and Services Daniel C. Murrie, Neil Gowensmith, and Marcus T. Boccacicini 27. Eyewitness Identification Margaret Bull Kovera and Eliana Aronson 28. Implicit and Ingrained? Reducing Unconscious Bias among Jurors Angela Jones and Christine L. Ruva 29. Judicial Considerations in Sentencing: A Call for Evidence-Based Reform Judge John L. Badalamenti and Lindsay Holcomb 30. Problem-Solving Courts: A Brief Overview of Judicial Interventions Kathleen A. Moore, Melissa Carlson, and Kelsey Greenfield PART VI: Corrections 31. Correctional Programming: Evidence-Based Programs, Policies, and Practices Mark E. Olver and Keira C. Stockdale 32. Incarceration: Rehabilitative Versus Iatrogenic Effects Meghan A. Novisky and Meghan M. Mitchell 33. What Works in Improving Reentry Outcomes?: Effective Programs and Recommendations Edelyn Verona, Kendall Smith, Michelle Hua, and Bryanna Fox 34. Supporting Healing and Wholeness: Evidence-Based Practices in Community Supervision Alexander M. Holsinger 35. Justice-Involved Persons with Opioid Use Disorder: Reducing Overdose and Criminal Recidivism Khary Rigg PART VII: Considerations for Policy Change 36. Criminal Justice Interventions Against Drug Use and Harms Greg Midgette, Jacob Scocca, and Anna Newell 37. Effective Bail Reform Strategies Drawn from a Limited Evidence Base Evan M. Lowder, Ashley Rodriguez, and Carmen Diaz 38. Examining Dilemmas about the State of America’s Death Penalty Anna R. Dixon and Ali Shakoor 39. Firearm Policy and Regulation in America: Promising Avenues for Future Research Emma E. Fridel 40. Mass Incarceration Bryan L. Sykes and J. Amanda Sharry 41. Anti-Racism & Racial Justice in the Criminal Justice System Micah E. Johnson and Skye C. Bristol Conclusion & Integration 42. Toward Policy Refinement: Multi-Systemic and Evidence-Based Approaches Edelyn Verona, Emily Torres, and Bryanna Fox