The EPISCenter aims to promote the greater use of prevention and intervention programs that have proven their effectiveness in rigorous scientific evaluations.  The Center’s primary goal is to advance high quality implementation, impact assessment, and sustainability of these evidence-based programs to maximize the positive impact of prevention science on outcomes for youth, families, and communities.

Under the state’s Research-based Delinquency and Violence Prevention Programs Initiative, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) has shaped a strategy guided by science to impact delinquency, violence, and substance use and promote positive youth development.

Through grants to local communities, Pennsylvania has purposefully chosen to invest in disseminating proven effective programs targeting these youth problems.

The programs supported under this initiative have each been nationally recognized as effective by federal and state agencies and prevention science organizations. Each has demonstrated evidence of positive outcomes that have been sustained over time. The effects have been found using scientifically rigorous evaluations, with findings replicated in multiple evaluations. As such, these programs represent the greatest potential for effectively preventing and reducing delinquency.

The EPISCenter, to support and advance the use of evidence-based programs:

• Directs outreach and advocacy efforts to foster recognition, at federal, state, and community levels, of the value and impact of proven prevention and intervention programs
• Provides technical assistance to communities to improve implementation quality, promote the collection and use of program impact data, and foster proactive planning for long-term program sustainability
• Develops and provides educational opportunities and resources to disseminate current prevention science research and facilitate peer networking
• Conducts original research to inform more effective prevention practice and the successful dissemination of evidence-based programs.

For more information, contact the EPISCenter at: 814-863-2568 or via email at EPISCenter@psu.edu