Right method, right price: the economic value and associated risks of experimentation

Abstract

Objectives: To consider the important contribution to crime reduction policy and practice made by research in experimental criminology; possible future research priorities and their methodological implications bearing in mind the cost and associated risks of research. Method: Discussion of the concepts necessary to inform policy and practice leads to a consideration of the appropriate methodology for primary research. On the basis of this discussion, three case studies are considered as exemplars of the argument being developed. Results: The authors argue that experimental criminology has been important in demonstrating the impact of certain types of place-based or people-based interventions. Nevertheless, the promised economic benefits are often predicated on interventions being proven effective in a particular geography or environment, on pre-existing levels of investment in the criminal justice system and on the presumed mechanism through which the initiative achieves its effect. As such, these ‘confounding factors’ need to be well researched and reported at the level of an individual experiment. Conclusions: Experimental criminology has made an important contribution to policy and practice, but could increase its relevance and impact by adopting evaluation methods which expose the risks of getting the wrong answer and demonstrate the extent to which risks, and therefore costs, might be reduced through strong study design and reporting.