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Abstract: 

As community corrections operationally embraces evidence-based practice, the importance of data, measurement, and evaluation is undeniable. However, depending on what is measured and how measurement is used, measurement can be either the cornerstone or the “Achilles’ heel” of evidence-based practice. Statements such as “What gets measured is what gets done” or “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” have been associated with present trends in community-based corrections to include evidence-based practice, results-driven supervision, and “broken windows” probation. It has been my experience, however, that measuring is not managing and that what gets measured may not be what gets done or what should be done. Therefore, the first question that community corrections agencies must answer is, “Are we measuring the right things?”

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Affiliations:  1: State of Connecticut Judicial Branch, Court Support Services Division.