From the Editors

• Author: Robert F. McManus,Charles F. Wellford
• Published date: 01 June 1999
• DOI: 10.3818/JRP.1.1.1999.3
• Date: 01 June 1999
• Subject Matter: From the Editors

introduction • 3

We are pleased to present the inaugural issue of Justice Research and Policy.

This new journal is devoted to criminal justice research, program evaluation,

and data analyses that have practical, policy-oriented applications.

This issue is a showcase for the diverse nature of criminal justice research,

evaluation, and analysis being conducted throughout the nation. Laurie Robinson,

Assistant Attorney General of the United States, Office of Justice Programs, U.S.

Department of Justice, introduces the issue by looking at the relationship of re-

search and policymaking from a federal perspective. Joan Petersilia’s article (“A

Decade of Experimenting with Intermediate Sanctions: What Have We Learned?”)

provides an overview of the development of intensive supervision in community

corrections, the research that followed it, and the impact that research has had

upon it. In doing so, Petersilia gives us a valuable case study of the process by

which research can and should influence policy formulation. Christopher Birk-

beck and associates (“Controlling New Mexico Juveniles’ Possession and Use of

Firearms”) provide a current and badly needed analysis of juvenile gun use by

going to the source of the problem and surveying juvenile delinquents about

their attitudes toward, and experiences with, firearms. Doug Yearwood and Robin

Lubitz (“Domestic Violence in North Carolina: Utilizing Court Data for Policy

Formulation”) demonstrate not only the importance of providing solid data analy-

sis for policymaking, but also the importance of taking a creative approach to-

ward the use and analysis of existing data sources in the absence of directly

applicable data sources. Jack Greene and associates (“Doing Research in Public

Housing”) address practical issues surrounding the implementation of commu-

nity oriented policing in Philadelphia’s public housing. Finally, Don Faggiani and

*From the Editors

Robert F. McManus

Charles F. Wellford