Skip to main content

Translational Criminology: Toward Best Practice

American Journal of Criminal Justice volume 44, pages 499–518 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

Over the past two decades, criminologists have attempted to better understand the process through which research is used by practitioners and policymakers to identify the conditions that facilitate its policy and practice use. As part of this effort, the current study examines the translational research process and the use of researcher-practitioner partnerships (RPPs) in two state correctional agencies. The methods include interviews with leading national researchers, Florida legislative personnel, and state-level decision makers in adult and juvenile corrections. The findings document barriers, facilitators, and mechanisms involved in the translation process and reveal the effectiveness of RPPs to translate research into policy and practice.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

References

  • Alpert, G.P., Rojek, J., & Hansen, J.A. (2013). Building bridges between police researchers and practitioners: Agents of change in a complex world, Report prepared for the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC: i-274.

  • Bales, W. D., Scaggs, S. J., Clark, C. L., Ensley, D., & Coltharp, P. (2014). Researcher-practitioner partnerships: A case study of the development of a long-term collaborative project between a university and a criminal justice agency. Criminal Justice Studies, 27, 294–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumer, E. P. (2015). Member perspectives. The Criminologist, 40, 8–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blomberg, T. G., Mestre, J. M., & Mann, K. (2013). Seeking causality in a world of contingency: Criminology, research, and public policy. Criminology & Public Policy, 12, 571–584.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blomberg, T. G., Brancale, J. M., Beaver, K. M., & Bales, W. D. (2016). Volume introduction. In T. G. Blomberg, J. M. Brancale, K. M. Beaver, & W. D. Bales (Eds.), Advancing Criminology & Criminal Justice Policy (pp. 1–3). New York: Routledge.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Blumstein, A. (1997). Interaction of criminological research and public policy. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 12, 349–361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braga, A. (2013). Embedded criminologists in police departments. Police Foundation, 17, 1–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Braga, A., & Apel, R. (2016). And we wonder why criminology is sometimes considered irrelevant in real-world policy conversations. Criminology & Public Policy, 15, 813–829.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, J. L., Quincy, C., Osserman, J., & Pedersen, O. K. (2013). Coding in-depth semistructured interviews: Problems of unitization and intercoder reliability and agreement. Sociological Methods and Research, 42, 294–320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chancer, L., & McLaughlin, E. (2007). Public criminologies: Diverse perspectives on academia and policy. Theoretical Criminology, 11, 155–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clear, T. R. (2010). Policy and evidence: The challenge to the American Society of Criminology: 2009 presidential address to the American Society of Criminology. Criminology, 48, 1–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CrimeSolutions.gov. (2017). All programs & practices. Retrieved from https://www.crimesolutions.gov/Programs.aspx#programs.

  • Cullen, F. T. (2005). The twelve people who saved rehabilitation: How the science of criminology made a difference. Criminology, 43, 1–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cullen, F.T. (2013). Rehabilitation: Beyond nothing works, in Tonry, T. (Ed.), Crime and Justice in America, 1975 to 2025, Vol. 42 Of crime and justice: A review of research, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 299–376.

  • Currie, E. (2007). Against marginality: Arguments for a public criminology. Theoretical Criminology, 11, 175–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garrison, A. H. (2009). The influence of research on criminal justice policy making. Professional Issues in Criminal Justice, 4, 9–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gingrich, N. (2016). Camerota Debate Crime Statistics, retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/12/01/gingrich-camerota-crime-stats-newday.cnn.

  • Hsieh, H., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15, 1277–1288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Innes, C. A., & Everett, R. S. (2008). Factors and conditions influencing the use of research by the criminal justice system. Western Criminology Review, 9, 49–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurasaki, K. S. (2000). Intercoder reliability for validating conclusions drawn from open-ended interview data. Field Methods, 12, 179–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Latessa, E. J. (2004). The challenge of change: Correctional programs and evidence-based practices. Criminology and Public Policy, 3, 547–560.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laub, J. H. (2012). Translational criminology. Translational Criminology: Promoting Knowledge Exchange to Shape Criminal Justice Research, Practice, and Policy, 3, 4–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laub, J. H., & Frisch, N. (2016). Translational criminology: A new path forward. In T. G. Blomberg, J. M. Brancale, K. M. Beaver, & W. D. Bales (Eds.), Advancing Criminology & Criminal Justice Policy (pp. 52–62). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lofland, J., & Lofland, L. (1995). Analyzing social settings: A guide to qualitative observation and analysis. Belmont: Wadsworth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lum, C., & Koper, C. S. (2015). Evidence-based policing. In R. Dunham & G. Alpert (Eds.), Critical issues in policing (pp. 1–15). Long Grove: Waveland Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lum, C., Telep, C. W., Koper, C. S., & Grieco, J. (2012). Receptivity to research in policing. Justice Research and Policy, 14, 61–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mears, D. P. (2013). Super max prisons: The policy and the evidence. Criminology & Public Policy, 12, 681–719.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nagin, D. S., & Weisburd, D. (2013). Evidence and public policy: The example of evaluation research in policing. Criminology & Public Policy, 12, 651–679.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Institute of Justice. (2012). Projects funded by NIJ awards. Retrieved 20 August 2018 from https://www.nij.gov/funding/awards/Pages/2011.aspx?fiscalyear=2011.

  • National Institute of Justice. (2014). Projects funded by NIJ awards. Retrieved 20 August 2018 from https://www.nij.gov/funding/awards/Pages/2013.aspx?fiscalyear=2013.

  • National Institute of Justice. (2018). Projects funded by NIJ awards. Retrieved 20 August 2018 from https://www.nij.gov/funding/awards/Pages/welcome.aspx.

  • National Research Council. (2012). Using science as evidence in public policy, The National Academies Press, Washingtonp, DC: Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.17226/13460.

  • Nutley, S. M., & Davies, H. T. O. (1999). The fall and rise of evidence in criminal justice. Public Money and Management, 19, 47–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nutley, S. M., Walter, I., & Davies, H. T. O. (2003). From knowing to doing: A framework for understanding the evidence-into-practice agenda. Evaluation, 9, 125–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petersilia, J. (1991). Policy relevance and the future of criminology. Criminology, 29, 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petersilia, J. (2008). Influencing public policy: An embedded criminologist reflects on California prison reform. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 4, 335–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petersilia, J., & Cullen, F. T. (2015). Liberal but not stupid: Meeting the promise of downsizing prisons. Stanford Journal of Criminal Law and Policy, 2, 1–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratt, T. C. (2008). Rational choice theory, crime control policy, and criminological relevance. Criminology & Public Policy, 7, 43–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • QSR International. (2012). NVivo 10. Doncaster, Victoria, Australia: QSR International Pty Ltd..

    Google Scholar 

  • Rojek, J., Alpert, G., & Smith, H. (2012a). The utilization of research by the police. Police Practice and Research, 13, 329–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rojek, J., Smith, H., & Alpert, G. (2012b). The prevalence and characteristics of police practitioner–researcher partnerships. Police Quarterly, 15, 241–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rojek J., Martin P., & Alpert G. (2015). The literature and research on police–research partnerships in the USA, in Rojek J., Martin P., & Alpert G., Developing and Maintaining Police-Researcher Partnerships to Facilitate Research Use, New York: Springer, 27–44.

  • Sampson, R. J., Winship, C., & Knight, C. (2013). Translating causal claims: Principles and strategies for policy-relevant criminology. Criminology & Public Policy, 12, 587–616.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Telep, C. W. (2016). Police officer receptivity to research and evidence-based policing: Examining variability within and across agencies. Crime & Delinquency, 63, 976–999.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Telep, C. W., & Winegar, S. (2015). Police executive receptivity to research: A survey of chiefs and sheriffs in Oregon. Policing, 10, 241–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tittle, C. R. (2004). The arrogance of public sociology. Social Forces, 82, 1639–1643.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tonry, M. (2010). Public criminology and evidence-based policy. Criminology & Public Policy, 9, 783–797.

  • Tseng, V. (2012). The uses of research in policy and practice. Sharing Child and Youth Development Knowledge, 26, 1–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uggen, C., & Inderbitzin, M. (2010). Public criminologies. Criminology & Public Policy, 9, 725–747.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weiss, C. H. (1987). The circuitry of enlightenment: Diffusion of social science research to policymakers. Knowledge: Creation, Diffusion, Utilization, 8, 274–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weiss, C. H. (1995). The haphazard connection: Social science and public policy. International Journal of Educational Research, 23, 137–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weitzer, R. (2015). American policing under fire: Misconduct and reform. Society, 52, 475–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wellford, C. (2009). Criminologists should stop whining about their impact on policy and practice. In N. A. Frost, J. D. Frelich, & T. R. Clear (Eds.), Contemporary issues in criminal justice policy: Policy proposals from the American Society of Criminology Conference (pp. 17–24). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the Florida Department of Corrections, the researchers and scholars that agreed to be interviewed, and Dr. Julie Brancale for her assistance.

Funding

This project was supported by Award No. 2014-IJ-CX-0035, awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Criminology & Criminal Justice, Florida State University, 112 S. Copeland Street, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA

    George B. Pesta, Thomas G. Blomberg, Javier Ramos & J. W. Andrew Ranson

Authors
  1. George B. Pesta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Thomas G. Blomberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Javier Ramos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. J. W. Andrew Ranson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to George B. Pesta.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Pesta, G.B., Blomberg, T.G., Ramos, J. et al. Translational Criminology: Toward Best Practice. Am J Crim Just 44, 499–518 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-018-9467-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-018-9467-1

Keywords

  • Translational criminology
  • Research partnerships
  • Research
  • Policy
  • Practice