Academic / Community Partnerships: Lessons Learned from BCJI

• In Event: Poster Session I

Abstract

Engaging the research-practitioner partner model, while not entirely a new concept, is unique in its rewards and challenges. The institutionalization of this partnership for the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) grant in particular has elucidated the unique attributes that these roles play in utilizing evidence-based research to address crime and neighborhood safety within cities across the United States. While there is a great deal of research looking at the need and capacity for such partnerships, there is little research that explores the development of these relationships and the efficacy of such partnerships in promoting criminal justice reform in communities. The current research examines the ways in which the “research partner” role was realized and engaged across a variety of BCJI sites. Results give a general overview of the process of creating community-academic partnerships, as well as the varied and distinct attributes of “successful” partnerships.

Authors

• Rebecca K Murray, Creighton University

• Dawn M. Irlbeck, Creighton University