Developing a Multicenter Randomized Trial in Criminology: The Case of HIDTA

In criminal justice, as in other fields, an experimental study conducted at a single site does not offer a solid basis upon which to make strong public policy recommendations. To date, criminal justice researchers have relied upon two general approaches to overcome the limitations of single-site experimental research. The first, termed "meta-analysis," seeks to combine independent studies to identify consistent effects across criminal justice settings or contexts. The second, sometimes termed "replication studies," seeks to replicate investigations in multiple criminal justice jurisdictions. In this paper we describe a related approach developed in clinical studies in medicine and examine its applicability in criminal justice settings. Termed a "multicenter clinical trial," this method demands the implementation of a single experimental protocol at multiple sites. We contrast the multicenter approach with other methods and provide a substantive example of an ongoing multicenter criminal justice study. We begin by examining the specific limitations of current approaches and solutions offered by multicenter studies to overcome these. We then turn to an application of the multicenter clinical trial in a criminal justice setting. Using the example of the HIDTA (High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas) evaluation of drug treatment programs currently being conducted at multiple sites, we illustrate components of the multicenter approach as well as potential drawbacks researchers are likely to face in its application in crime and justice studies.