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Selecting the Right

Evidence-Based Practice

for Your Program

gaiL SEarS HuMiSton and roBErto HugH PottEr

Those of us who have worked in corrections for more than a decade know that correctional
organizations—from jails to prisons—are now tasked with responsibilities that were not previously
considered as core functions. This is often the case when it comes to the selection of an “evidence-based
practice or program” or EBP—one of the core components of most (especially grant-funded) programs.
Whether this programming is viewed as “mission creep” (Leach, 2004) or another stage in the evolution
of correctional practice, most of us realize EBP’s and inter-organizational collaboration are not what
correctional academies and most four-year academic criminal justice programs taught us.
Relatively little attention is paid to inter-organizational relationships (IORs) in most academic and
leadership programs. Yet, IORs are the key to implementing many of these expanded functions that
are now expected of correctional facilities. In an era of organizational change driven by external stake-
holder pressures and internal technological change, we believe more emphasis on the strategy element
of organizational leadership is needed. This is especially true of the development of IORs.

AMERICANJails JULY | AUGUST 2021 | 49