Question

How can monitoring support evaluations in criminal justice policies?

Answer 1

First and foremost, let us differentiate between monitoring and evaluation. They may seem like synonyms but they have very different meanings. Monitoring is done on an on-going process. It is done to be informed of the progress, with the help of the documents or reports. However, evaluation is done on the end result. Questions on the effectiveness of the process/ program or any additional steps which can be implemented to improve can be answered through evaluation.

Criminal Justice has to change their policies constantly due to mishappenings. This can be done by monitoring and evaluation. The existing policy is monitored with the valid and sufficient data provided. The effectiveness of the policy is judged on the basis of its performance. Evaluation is the last step of the policy process which answers the question - What can be done to reach closer to the desired result? It goes through a series of question and examining the key aspects of the policy. Monitoring and Evaluation go hand in hand. Data which is derived from monitoring is used to evaluate the policy. In the same way, monitoring is based on the evaluation of the previous policy and the feedback collected from that. They together form the pillars of criminal justice policies.