U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Democrats have shut down the government. Department of Justice websites are not currently regularly updated. Please refer to the Department of Justice’s contingency plan for more information.

Program Decisions - Evaluating a Bird in the Hand Versus Two in the Bush

NCJ Number
96715
Journal
Evaluation and Planning Volume: 4 Dated: (1983) Pages: 325-334
Author(s)
K J Snapper; D A Seaver
Date Published
1981
Length
10 pages
Annotation
In new programs that have not reached full effectiveness, or in programs that are designed to produce future benefits (i.e., become 'institutionalized'), evaluations that fail properly to assess future performance may bias decisions against the programs.
Abstract

For such programs, consideration of future benefits may significantly enhance the assessment of their cost-effectiveness. This paper describes an evaluation methodology based on decision theory that can take future benefits into account in evaluating a program. The methodology was applied to the Metropolitan Atlanta Crime Commission (MACC) Community Anti-Crime Project and indicated the potential for substantial future benefits subsequent to cessation of federal funding. The implications of use of this methodology and MACC results for the overall Community Anti-Crime Program are also discussed. Figures, tabular data and 11 references are provided. (Author abstract modified)

Date Published: January 1, 1981