Crime and Justice updates

Transparency in the reporting of primary evidence is key to the production of high-quality systematic reviews.  Reviewers need enough information to be able to assess what constitutes the 'best' evidence.The CONSORT Statement was originally published in 1996 to address the issue of reporting transparency in healthcare....

The US Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) is to publish Campbell Crime and Justice Group systematic reviews relevant to policing, in a series entitled Crime Prevention Research Reviews.The first of these, Disrupting Street-Level Drug Markets, by Lorraine Mazerolle, David W. So....

Crime and Justice Steering Committee member Jonathan Shepherd received this year's prize, along with Academy of Experimental Criminology fellow David Olds. Prof. Shepherd, an oral surgeon from Cardiff University, UK, was recognised for his pioneering research on injury prevention in bar fights. Read more about his work....

Improved street lighting can contribute to significantly reduce crime, according to a review published by the Campbell CollaborationImprovements in street lighting are not always made with crime prevention in mind – traffic and pedestrian safety are often more important to city planners. However, while the notion tha....

Treating serious juvenile offenders in secure corrections pays off. A new Campbell systematic review shows that treatment programs with cognitive elements in particular reduce relapse into crime, and especially relapse into serious crime.There are only a small number of serious juvenile offenders, but these people comm....

Problem-oriented policing has a modest impact on crime and disorder, according to a new Campbell-review.Problem-oriented policing (POP) was developed in 1979 in response to the criticism that policing was too 'means'-focused, and had neglected the 'goals' of crime prevention and control, and community problems. Its cor....

Second responder programs for family violence do not affect the likelihood of new incidents of violent abuse, according to a systematic review published by The Campbell Collaboration.Second responder programs are based on the notions that family violence often recurs, and that victims are especially likely to be recept....

The popularity of CCTV has grown markedly in the Western world in recent years. In the UK, CCTV is the single most heavily funded crime prevention measure operating outside the criminal justice system. However, doubt has been cast on the quality and independence of research evidence touting its success. This review exa....

Mentoring programs can reduce crime and associated problems, but more rigorous research is needed, according to a new systematic review published by the Campbell Collaboration.Mentoring is one of the most commonly-used interventions to prevent, divert, and deal with youth involved in or at risk for delinquent and antis....

Neighborhood Watch programs are associated with a reduction in crime, according to a new review published by the Campbell Collaboration.Neighborhood Watch schemes encourage citizens to look for and report suspicious incidents to the police in an effort to deter potential offenders. They grew out of a movement in the US....