TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2010//
TI  - A Realist Evaluation Approach to Unpacking the Impacts of the Sentencing Guidelines
JO  - American journal of evaluation
A1  - Hunt, Kim Steven
A1  - Sridharan, Sanjeev
SP  - 463
EP  - 485
VL  - 31
IS  - 4
N2  - Evaluations of complex interventions such as sentencing guidelines provide an opportunity to understand the mechanisms by which policies and programs can impact intermediate and long-term outcomes. There is limited previous discussion of the underlying frameworks by which sentencing guidelines can impact outcomes such as crime rates. Guided by a realist evaluation framework, this article examines the impact of linkages of sentencing policy to resource capacity—a cost-control paradigm under which a few states created guidelines to control rising prison populations and expenditures. Additionally, we argue that the moderating influence of this linkage will depend on the severity of the crime. A key conclusion is that in addition to social science theory, evaluation theory is needed to understand how programs work; there is a greater need for identifying conditions under which policies work or do not work. We find the realist approach as a promising approach to build such knowledge.<p />
LA  - 
SN  - 1098-2140
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1098214010371817
ID  - ref1
ER  -