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Criminology
Videotaping interrogations in Pennsylvania
Videotaping interrogations in Pennsylvania
The Quattrone Center has released “Videotaping Interrogations in Pennsylvania,” the first study to review Pennsylvania interrogation practices.
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.
In the News
Providence Journal
Do safe injection sites increase crime rates? What a study our of Brown University found
A study in collaboration with Aaron Chalfin of the School of Arts & Sciences indicates that overdose prevention centers do not lead to increased neighborhood crime rates.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Philadelphians hope a cleaner city will reduce gun violence. Will Oh or Parker make it a reality?
A $3 million blight reduction project in Philadelphia is informed by Penn research showing that cleaning up trash and revitalizing vacant lots can reduce gun violence rates by as much as 29%.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
There is an invisible Puerto Rican community growing in PA’s prisons
Marie Gottschalk of the School of Arts & Sciences says that prison reforms to reduce the number of people incarcerated have been minimal.
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Boston Globe
Gregg Bigda is the poster boy of police brutality in Springfield. But the city can’t—or won’t—fire him
A 2021 Penn analysis of all complaints across the Chicago Police Department revealed that on average, officers generated 1.5 total complaints and 0.2 use of force complaints in a five-year period.
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NJ.com
When a police shooting really is justified, what do we do with our pain then?
Richard Berk of the School of Arts & Sciences says that the police shooting of Estiben Alegria-Hurtado in Elizabeth, New Jersey, is a case where 20-20 hindsight can be fairly myopic.
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Wisconsin State Journal
Police searching for Kwik Trip car thief
Data from the Quattrone Center at Penn Carey Law suggests that COVID-19 has caused crime in the U.S. to drop across the nation’s largest cities.
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