This paper examines the effectiveness of school-based drug prevention programs in preventing illicit drug use. Our paper reports the results of a systematic review of the evaluation literature to answer three fundamental questions: (1) do school-based drug prevention programs reduce rates of illicit drug use? (2) if they do, what features are characteristic of effective programs? and (3) do these effective program characteristics differ from those identified as effective in reviews of school-based drug prevention of licit substance use (such as alcohol and tobacco)? Using systematic review and metaanalytic techniques, we identify the characteristics of school-based drug prevention programs that have a significant and beneficial impact on ameliorating illicit substance use (i.e. narcotics) among young people. We find that successful intervention programs typically involve high levels of interactivity, time-intensity, and universal approaches that are delivered in the middle school years. These program characteristics aligned with many of the effective program elements found in previous reviews exploring the impact of school-based drug prevention on licit drug use (i.e. alcohol and tobacco). Contrary to these past reviews, however, our analysis suggests that the inclusion of booster sessions and multifaceted drug prevention programs have little impact on preventing illicit drug use among school-aged children. Limitations of the current review and policy implications are discussed.

Our paper presents the results of a meta-analytical review of street level drug law enforcement. We conducted a series of meta-analyses to compare and contrast the effectiveness of four types of drug law enforcement approaches, including community-wide policing, problem-oriented/ partnership approaches that were geographically focused, hotspots policing and standard, unfocused law enforcement efforts. We examined the relative impact of these different crime control tactics on streetlevel drug problems as well as associated problems such as property crime, disorder and violent crime. The results of the meta-analyses, together with examination of forest plots, reveal that problem-oriented policing and geographically-focused interventions involving cooperative partnerships between police and third parties tend to be more effective at controlling drug problems than community-wide policing efforts that are unfocused and spread out across a community. But geographically focused and community-wide drug law enforcement interventions that leverage partnerships are more effective at dealing with drug problems than traditional, law enforcement-only interventions. Our results suggest that the key to successful drug law enforcement lies in the capacity of the police to forge productive partnerships with third parties rather than simply increasing police presence or intervention (e.g., arrests) at drug hotspots.

OBJECTIVES. This study evaluated the impact of a culturally sensitive cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)-based intervention (the EMPOWER programme) for war-affected persons in northern Uganda. DESIGN. The study conducted a pilot evaluation with a convenience sample of participants from internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps (i.e., a treatment camp and waitlist control camp). This was done to avoid treatment effects spreading from the intervention to control conditions. METHODS. A total of 202 participants (N= 90 treatment participants and N= 112 control participants) were included as a convenience sample. The Acholi Psychosocial Assessment Instrument (APAI), a culturally appropriate measure of psychosocial functioning, was administered to participants residing in two IDP camps at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and at 3-month follow-up. Participants in the treatment camp received the EMPOWER programme--a culturally sensitive CBT-based intervention teaching emotional resiliency and promoting forgiveness. RESULTS. Participants in the treatment condition reported (a) significantly lower scores on the depression-like syndromes and the anxiety-like syndrome and (b) significantly more prosocial behaviours, than participants in the control condition. CONCLUSIONS. The results of this study provide initial support for the application of structured CBT interventions in war-affected areas, illustrating that the EMPOWER programme could be utilized by humanitarian agencies to address the psychosocial needs of war-affected displaced persons.

The Campbell Collaboration (C2) was founded on the principle that systematic reviews on the effects of interventions will inform and help improve policy and services. C2 offers editorial and methodological support to review authors throughout the process of producing a systematic review. A number of C2's editors, librarians, methodologists and external peerreviewers contribute. The Campbell Collaboration ABSTRACT Background:An atmosphere of ineffectiveness regarding the ability of police to address crime problems in general and street-level drug problems in particular prevailed in the 1980s. Law enforcement tactics in the 1980s were typically reactive, unfocused and generally failed to disrupt street-level drug market activity. Development of focused proactive policing strategies during the 1990s, such as problem-oriented policing and partnerships with third parties, led to a renewed faith in the capacity of the police to efficaciously deal with street-level drug problems. Objectives:To utilize meta-analytic procedures to assess the relative effectiveness of police-led drug law enforcement interventions. Specifically, we examined the relative effectiveness of a number of policing approaches, including problem-oriented policing, community-wide policing, and hotspots policing compared to the standard, reactive mode of drug law enforcement that dominated police practice until the 1990s. Search Strategy:We identified relevant studies using a guided, iterative search process utilizing appropriate keyword searches of major databases from various disciplines. In addition, we hand searched key journals in the law enforcement literature, trawled discipline relevant websites, consulted key researchers, postgraduate students, and criminal justice librarians, and cross-checked the reference list of each identified study. Selection Criteria:We restricted our meta-analysis to interventions initiated, managed and/or implemented by the police to reduce or prevent illicit drug use, drug dealing and associated problems at drug dealing places. We investigated the impact of these interventions on a number of outcome variables, including drug outcomes using drugrelated calls for service and reported offenses, as well as reported offenses and calls for service outcomes for non-drug specific outcomes such as property crime, violent offences, and disorder. The review imposed no time restrictions (i.e. publication year) and we included unpublished literature (i.e. dissertations, reports, etc) and non-English language studies. Included studies all needed, at a minimum, a pre-test/posttest, comparison group design. Our review included quasi-experimental designs given the lack of methodologically sound evaluations in this area. Data Collection & Analysis:We used meta-analytic techniques to investigate the effectiveness of various drug law enforcement approaches on the outcome variables of interest. Specifically, we used the odds ratio to assess pre-test to post-test intervention effects, using a random effects model. We analysed separately ...

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of Queensland Police Service's version of COMPSTAT, known as "Operational Performance Reviews" (OPRs), on reported crime. Design/methodology/approach -The paper employed interrupted time series analytic techniques to examine the impact of OPRs on various categories of reported crime in Queensland. The analyses assessed the extent to which OPRs were associated with crime reductions across the 29 police districts in Queensland. Findings -The introduction of OPRs was found to be associated with a significant decrease in the total number of reported offences in Queensland. OPRs were found to have their strongest effect on reported unlawful entries into dwellings and unlawful entries into other properties. The overall finding was that OPRs appeared to be a cost-effective approach to controlling crime, resulting in an overall saving of AUD$1,162,175. Practical implications -The current study suggests that COMPSTAT generally -and Queensland's OPRs in particular -can be an effective police management mechanism, which results in observable reductions in reported crimes. Moreover, OPRs appear to be most effective at reducing property-related crime. Modifications of this performance management process may help to generalize its effects to other types of crime. Originality/value -This study was the first to provide a systematic examination of the impact of OPRs on a relatively large number of offence categories.