Criminology

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Quattrone Center leads Philadelphia Event Review Team to analyze wrongful convictions

The Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice and city agencies have joined together in a partnership that seeks to improve the fairness and accuracy of the criminal justice system.

"Pennsylvania Welcomes You: State of Independence"

States with strict gun laws see increase in homicides when they border states with lax ones

Over a five-year period, most guns found in states with strict gun laws were obtained from less restrictive states.

Houston police team up with Ring app to tackle crime

Maria Cuellar of the School of Arts and Sciences commented a partnership between the Houston Police Department and Ring, a home surveillance company that offers video doorbells, saying that there is not enough evidence to claim that the devices reduce crime.

Law faculty perspectives on passage of the First Step Act

Penn Law faculty weigh in on the passage of the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill that modifies sentencing laws, expands job training, and takes additional steps intended to reduce recidivism and create a fairer and less costly criminal justice system.

prisoners walking down hallway with prison bars in foreground

‘Second Looks, Second Chances’ examines parole reform for life sentences

Regina Austin, Penn Law’s William A. Schnader Professor of Law, has authored a new paper offering a behind-the-scenes account of producing a documentary calling for commuting life sentences for prisoners in Pennsylvania.

four profiles of women in white and purple ink

VAWA renewal is overdue—but approval is contentious

The landmark 1994 legislation—the Violence Against Women Act—is up for reauthorization, and includes a firearm-related provision.

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New study finds holistic defense effective in reducing mass incarceration

Researchers at RAND and Penn Law School find that by adopting an innovative holistic approach to defending poor clients in criminal cases, jurisdictions can significantly reduce incarceration and save taxpayer dollars without harming public safety.

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Inventive legal approach decreases gang violence by 18 percent

The drop came after the City of Los Angeles filed nearly 50 civil injunctions against gangs, limiting the activity of their members, according to research from Penn criminologists.

The FBI’s crime data: What happens when states don’t fully report

“That’s just noise,” said the School of Arts and Sciences’ Richard Berk, commenting on the insignificance of a less than 1 percent decrease in violent crime from 2016 to 2017, as reported by the FBI.

Dorothy Roberts on how prison and foster care systems harm black mothers

The Law School professor contributed to a new book that argues the prison and foster care systems work in concert against black women.

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