Fostering Community-Engaged Research on Criminal Legal Innovations with Logic Models

Abstract

There is a persistent disconnect between research and practice, both in the social work profession as well as in the criminal legal system. Community-engaged research has been suggested as an approach to bridge this divide, but specific tools are needed to integrate research and practice efforts. This article presents three distinct logic model development processes that occurred in collaborative research and practice efforts in the context of criminal legal programming, including prosecutor-led diversion programs, a high-intensity drug court, and a multiagency justice and mental health collaborative. Logic model development incorporated multiple forms of program information using collaborative reflexivity, an approach focused on understanding the relationship between knowledge and power in the research process. For each program, the authors describe the context and process of logic model development, and how the logic models were used by both practitioners and researchers. The authors discuss how collaborative logic model development can facilitate community-engaged research, strengthen the research–practice connection, and advance applied social work scholarship.