Evaluation Research

Abstract

In recent years, conditions of funding to state and local agencies with regard to social service programming have been contingent upon the ability of organizations to prove efficacy through evidence‐based assessment of program goals and outcomes. This is accomplished through the use of program evaluation, which utilizes the systematic assessment of program processes to determine whether program goals are being met. This entry discusses the various types of program evaluation available to researchers and practitioners, the reasons for undergoing such evaluation, and the ways to conduct evaluations with appropriate rigor. It also places this process within the larger area of evidence‐based criminology.