This ambitious volume brings together and assesses all major systematic reviews of the
effectiveness of criminological interventions to draw broad conclusions about what works in
policing corrections developmental prevention situational prevention drug abuse treatments
sentencing and deterrence and communities. Systematic reviews aim to minimize any possible
bias in drawing conclusions by stating explicit criteria for inclusion and exclusion of studies
by conducting extensive and wide-ranging searches for possibly eligible studies and by making
all stages of the review explicit and transparent so that the methods can be checked and
replicated. Over a decade ago a concerted effort was made by members of the criminology
community including the Editors and contributors of this volume to bring the practice of
systematic reviews to the study of Criminology providing replicable evidence-based data to
answer key questions about the study of crime causation detection and prevention. Now the
pioneers in this effort present a comprehensive stock-taking of what has been learned in the
past decade of systematic reviews in criminology. Much has been discovered about the
effectiveness of (for example) boot camps ¿hot spots¿ policing closed-circuit television
surveillance neighborhood watch anti-bullying programs in schools early parenting programs
drug treatment programs and other key topics. This volume will be of interest to researchers
in criminology and criminal justice as well as in related fields such as public health and
forensic science with important implications for policy-makers and practitioners. Decisively
showing that the ¿nothing works¿ era is over this volume takes stock of what we know and
still need to know to prevent crime. I plan to keep this book close at hand and to use it
often! Francis T. Cullen Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus University of Cincinnati
At a time when there is a broad commitment to bringing science to the front lines of practice
this book should be on the reading list of both policymakers and scholars. Laurie O. Robinson
Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Criminology Law Society George Mason University and former
Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice
