Can Non-Experimental Studies Improve the Policy Relevance of Crime Prevention Research? Insights from Public Area Video Surveillance Interventions

• In Event: Crime Prevention for Social Impact and Social Justice III

Abstract

Critiques of evidence-based crime prevention highlight the lack of research evidence on practical considerations that are critical to policymakers. To effectively address these concerns and maximize the social impact and social justice elements of crime prevention strategies, there is a call for research that focuses on the practical considerations necessary for successful implementation. One view holds that relaxing a methodological criterion of systematic reviews and meta-analyses (i.e., use of rigorous quasi-experimental and experimental designs) would result in a larger pool of studies that could help to address this knowledge gap. Drawing on a new and comprehensive database of more than 160 evaluation studies of public area video surveillance, this paper sets out to test empirically this proposition by analyzing policy-relevant factors, including implementation, monetary costs, and contextual variables. The findings of this analysis will help shed light on whether relaxing methodological rigor can enhance the applicability of research to policymakers or if upholding existing methodological standards would not sacrifice the social impact and social justice implications of research.

Authors

• Savannah Reid, Northeastern University

• Eric Piza, Northeastern University

• Brandon C. Welsh, Northeastern University / Harvard Medical School

• John Patrick Moylan, Northeastern University