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Developing a Multicenter Randomized Trial in Criminology: The Case of HIDTA

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Abstract

In criminal justice, as in other fields, an experimental study conducted ata single site does not offer a solid basis upon which to make strong publicpolicy recommendations. To date, criminal justice researchers have reliedupon two general approaches to overcome the limitations of single-siteexperimental research. The first, termed ``meta-analysis,” seeks tocombine independent studies to identify consistent effects across criminaljustice settings or contexts. The second, sometimes termed “replicationstudies,” seeks to replicate investigations in multiple criminaljustice jurisdictions. In this paper we describe a related approachdeveloped in clinical studies in medicine and examine its applicabilityin criminal justice settings. Termed a “multicenter clinicaltrial,” this method demands the implementation ofa single experimental protocol at multiple sites. We contrast themulticenter approach with other methods and provide a substantiveexample of an ongoing multicenter criminal justice study. We begin byexamining the specific limitations of current approaches and solutionsoffered by multicenter studies to overcome these. We then turn to anapplication of the multicenter clinical trial in a criminal justicesetting. Using the example of the HIDTA (High-Intensity Drug TraffickingAreas) evaluation of drug treatment programs currently being conducted atmultiple sites, we illustrate components of the multicenter approach aswell as potential drawbacks researchers are likely to face in itsapplication in crime and justice studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742

    David Weisburd & Faye S. Taxman

  2. Institute of Criminology, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

    David Weisburd

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  1. David Weisburd
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  2. Faye S. Taxman
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Weisburd, D., Taxman, F.S. Developing a Multicenter Randomized Trial in Criminology: The Case of HIDTA. Journal of Quantitative Criminology 16, 315–340 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007574906103

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