Ros Burnett is Reader in Criminology at the University of Oxford.Colin Roberts is Lecturer in Criminology and Fellow of Green College at the University of Oxford.

• Foreword  1. The emergence and importance of evidence-based practice in probation and youth justice  2. Evidence-based practice in the National Probation Service  3. Towards effective practice in the Youth Justice System  4. Assessment tools in probation: their development and potential  5. Is Asset really an asset? Assessment of young offenders in practice  6. Exploring effective educational interventions for young people who offend  7. Probation interventions to address basic skills and employment needs  8. Offending behaviour programmes: emerging evidence and implications for practice  9. Intensive supervision and surveillance programmes for young offenders: the evidence base so far  10. One-to-one ways of promoting desistance: in search of an evidence base  11. Using community service to encourage inclusive citizenship: evidence from the CS pathfinder  12. Opportunity, motivation and change: some findings from research on resettlement  13. Pursuing evidence-based inspection