Criminology

Positioned for Success

The program, launched by recent College of Arts and Sciences grads Taussia Boadi and Cheryl Nnadi, was a 2023 Projects for Progress winner and provides academic support to middle school students affected by gun violence.

Kristen de Groot

Can more art equal less crime?

Maya Moritz, a first-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Criminology, is building the case, studying the effect of Philadelphia murals on the city’s crime rate.

From OMNIA

Videotaping interrogations in Pennsylvania

The Quattrone Center has released “Videotaping Interrogations in Pennsylvania,” the first study to review Pennsylvania interrogation practices.

From Penn Carey Law

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.

Kelsey Geesler

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.

Michele W. Berger



In the News


Baltimore Banner

Gun violence is falling across the country. How does Baltimore compare?

A team of crime analysts from Penn presented findings from a gun violence reduction strategy through a 2022 pilot program in Baltimore.

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Newsweek

Daily omega-3 supplements may change your behavior, scientists reveal

A study by Adrian Raine of the School of Arts & Sciences suggests that daily omega-3 supplements can lead to a reduction in aggressive behavior.

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Baltimore Banner

Baltimore expands anti-gun-violence strategy into Eastern District

An analysis released by the Crime and Justice Policy Lab at the School of Arts & Sciences suggests that a group violence reduction strategy drove a 2022 drop in shootings in Baltimore’s Western District.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Too many Philly police are no-shows in court, derailing cases and undermining our justice system

Research by Sandra Mayson of Penn Carey Law, Aurelie Ouss of the School of Arts & Sciences, and doctoral candidate Linsday Graef finds that Philadelphia police officers failed to appear in 31% of cases for which they were subpoenaed between 2010 and 2020.

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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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