The Production of Criminological Experiments Revisited: Federal Funding and the Impact of Experiments, 2001–2013

• In Event: Issues in the Use of Experimental Research Methods

Abstract

Randomized experiments provide the most unbiased estimates of program and policy effectiveness, but they often require external funding to be successfully completed. To date, the federal government and the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in particular have been the main source of funds for U.S. experimental research in criminology. We focus on the characteristics of NIJ-funded randomized experiments in criminology and criminal justice from 2001–2013. We review the level of funding for all evaluation research and experimental research during this period to assess how funding levels compare to the 1991–2000 period examined by Garner and Visher (2003) in their initial assessment of the production of criminological experiments, and to see whether the declines in funding for experiments that they observed have continued. We also examine the types of experimental interventions receiving federal support in recent years and consider how changes in government priorities in research areas and methodologies may have affected the nature of funded projects in the last decade. Additionally, we consider the influence of experimental research on the field. We examine citation counts for publications resulting from completed experiments funded by NIJ since 2001 to assess the impact these studies have had on advancing scientific knowledge.

Authors

• Cody Telep, Arizona State University

• Joel H. Garner, Joint Centers for Justice Studies

• Christy Visher, University of Delaware