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Michele W. Berger
Senior Science News Officer
mwberger@upenn.edu
Criminology
Abandoned house repairs reduced nearby gun violence
Abandoned house repairs reduced nearby gun violence
Installing working windows and doors, cleaning trash, and weeding at abandoned houses led to safety improvements and should be considered in efforts to create healthy communities, according to researchers from University of Pennsylvania and Columbia.
Despite lower crime rates in 2020, risk of victimization grew
Despite lower crime rates in 2020, risk of victimization grew
Research out of Penn and the Naval Postgraduate School found that early in the pandemic the possibility of getting robbed or assaulted in a public place in the U.S. jumped by 15% to 30%, a rate that has stayed elevated since.
Crime and the scientific method
Crime and the scientific method
The multidisciplinary faculty in the Department of Criminology harness diverse methodologies to improve public safety and inform policy and planning.
Well water, lead, and the link to juvenile delinquency
Well water, lead, and the link to juvenile delinquency
Research from Penn and other universities found that, compared to children with municipal water, those relying on private wells in the U.S. had a 21% higher risk of being reported for any delinquency and a 38% increased risk of being reported for serious delinquency after age 14.
Diversion programs reduce criminal justice system footprint
Diversion programs reduce criminal justice system footprint
Research from Penn criminologists and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office found that such programs increase expungement rates and lower reconviction rates, leading to a net-narrowing effect overall.
Who’s at greatest risk to encounter the criminal legal system in the U.S.?
Who’s at greatest risk to encounter the criminal legal system in the U.S.?
New work from Penn, Princeton, and Washington University in St. Louis finds that for young people of color, contact with the system begins early and is incredibly widespread.
When police forces grow, homicides drop and low-level arrests increase
When police forces grow, homicides drop and low-level arrests increase
Research from Penn criminologist Aaron Chalfin and others found that an additional 10 to 17 officers prevented one homicide annually, but each extra officer added up to 22 arrests for crimes like drug possession.
The role of progressive prosecutors in the criminal justice reform movement
The role of progressive prosecutors in the criminal justice reform movement
Using Philadelphia as a microcosm, a new law course will analyze the emerging trend of progressive prosecutors’ offices and discuss how their strategies fit into a larger movement for criminal justice reform.
The story of immigration enforcement
The story of immigration enforcement
In an award-winning paper, criminologist Aaron Chalfin examines the public safety implications of labor market-based immigration enforcement.
COVID-19, protests, and crime
COVID-19, protests, and crime
During a summer internship with the Law School’s David Abrams, rising sophomores Caroline Li and David Feng looked at how the COVID-19 pandemic and last summer’s racial justice protests affected America’s crime rate.
Media Contact
In the News
WESA Radio (Pittsburgh)
Fighting blight by fixing up homes could bring down Philly gun violence, new study shows
A co-authored Penn study found that restoring the areas around abandoned houses can lead to a drop in neighborhood gun crime.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Fighting blight by fixing up homes could bring down Philly gun violence, new study shows
A study by Eugenia South of the Perelman School of Medicine and John MacDonald of the School of Arts & Sciences and colleagues finds that restoring the areas around abandoned houses can lead to a drop in neighborhood gun crime.
FULL STORY →
China Daily
Gun violence: A U.S. scourge that refuses to die
Richard Berk of the School of Arts & Sciences notes that many countries have disadvantaged people who are angry and alienated but don’t possess guns.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Renovating abandoned houses reduces the rate of gun violence, Penn study finds
A study by Eugenia C. South of the Perelman School of Medicine, John MacDonald of the School of Arts & Sciences and colleagues found that rates of gun violence were reduced in neighborhood blocks surrounding renovated homes.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Hundreds of Philly police officers work administrative jobs that could be done by civilians, a study found
A study by the Fels Institute of Government in the School of Arts & Sciences contends that “civilianizing” nearly 900 positions on the Philadelphia Police force could result in a more diverse, efficient, and productive department.
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Reuters
Laws restricting right to film police prove to be a waste of time
Seth Kreimer of Penn Carey Law is quoted on the accompaniment of cellphone camera technology by cases of police prosecuting critics who recorded them.
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