The Unimportance of In-House Research in a Professional Criminal Justice Organization

Abstract

This article examines the role of and potential for in-house research as a factor in policy-making and decision-making in a large nonprofit criminal justice organization. Interviews with top administrators, program managers, and research personnel, together with a review of documents and project memoranda, reveal the enigmatic situation of a professional organization in which in-house evaluation and other in-house research efforts are accorded relatively little value. The authors examine factors that are important in understanding use and nonuse of in-house research in the organization, present conclusions and recommendations regarding the situation, and describe efforts to address relevant problems.