Prison Service Journal 271

This special edition of the Prison Service Journal is dedicated to the subject of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) in criminal justice settings.

EBP involves the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of the best available evidence when making  decisions. This involves integrating multiple sources of evidence in a structured approach, combining research evidence, clinical expertise, and operational insights in the context of user characteristics, culture, and preferences.

In this edition:

• Editorial
• Reducing Knife Crime: We need to ask ‘What Works?’, by Jon Yates
• Implementing Evidence-Based Practice: A Synthesis of the Evidence, by Flora Fitzalan Howard
• Bringing evidence into practice: The story of the work to improve outcomes for young adults in prison and probation, by Georgia Barnett, Dr Helen Wakeling and Lisa Short
• If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a prototype is worth 1,000 meetings. Why prototyping will help you get better results, by Jo Voisey
• Applying evidence-based practice in custody PIPEs and using early evidence to inform the development of Theory of Change, by Nicole Webster, Lucinda Bolger and Dr Carine Lewis
• Getting the message about evidence-based practice directly to people in prison, Dr Rachel A. Gibson, Kate Netten, Thomas Bonser, Andrew Wilkie and James Adamson
• What Works Centre for Crime Reduction: How to find out more about what works to reduce reoffending, by Dr Jo Wilkinson
• Building Bridges, Winning Hearts and Minds, and Working with Hope. Dr Rosie Travers, interviewed by Dr Amy Ludlow
• The Importance of Evidence-based Practice in HM Inspectorate of Probation. Dr Robin Moore, interviewed by Dr Darren Woodward
• Evidence-Based Practice at the Youth Justice Board. Dr Hannah Collyer, interviewed by Dr Rachel Bell
• (How) Can prisons be run using the principles of evidence-based practice? Ian Bickers and Prof Rob Briner, interviewed by Dr Ruth Armstrong
• The Bennett Award for Outstanding Article 2023