Criminology | Penn Today

Houston Chronicle

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.

six people standing by a window backlit by the sun

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.

Outlines of men outside, in black and white

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 Wall Street Journal

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.

Leading from within: Madison Dawkins brings health and mindfulness to prison

Rising senior Madison Dawkins created an independent study focused on health and mindfulness with the women at the Riverside Correctional Facility.

Criminologist John MacDonald and emergency medicine physician Eugenia South of the University of Pennsylvania.

Greening vacant lots reduces depression in city dwellers

People living within a quarter mile of greened lots had a 41.5 percent decrease in feelings of depression and a nearly 63 percent decrease in self-reported “poor mental health,” compared to those who lived near the lots that received no intervention.

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