ABSTRACT

The belief in the efficacy of punishment has long been a hallmark of public rhetoric about crime in the US This chapter explores the evolution of knowledge on "what works" in punishment with historical insights on effectiveness and pivotal moments in the pursuit of effectiveness. It discusses the evidence-based (EB) culture and new scientific tools of the "what works" trade. This is succeeded by an analysis of existing findings on "what works" in adult punishment. The expectation that punishment be effective dates back to the penal reforms of the late 18th Century. Economic pragmatism is perhaps the most realistic where expectations are concerned. The interchange between research and policy that is playing out in the EB movement has spawned a new evaluation discourse and infrastructure. Many measures of recidivism or program failure were used across and within studies reported in the systematic reviews. The chapter concludes by identifying potential unintended consequences of "what works" research.