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Criminology
Using science to make cities safer and healthier
Using science to make cities safer and healthier
In a Q&A, criminologist John MacDonald discusses his new book, grounded in years of research on the positive effects of remediation like fixing up abandoned lots and houses.
Childhood exposure to trauma costs society $458 billion annually
Childhood exposure to trauma costs society $458 billion annually
Bureaucratic hurdles block access to treatment services, so they tend to go unused. This leads to adverse outcomes that put stress on public systems like social services and law enforcement.
Removing human bias from predictive modeling
Removing human bias from predictive modeling
Predictive modeling is supposed to be neutral, a way to help remove personal prejudices from decision-making. But the algorithms are packed with the same biases that are built into the real-world data used to create them.
Game-changing approach to a better U.S. criminal justice system
Game-changing approach to a better U.S. criminal justice system
Through its emphasis on data-driven, systemic solutions to errors afflicting the criminal justice system, the Law School’s Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice has become a national leader in reform efforts.
What is a ‘mass shooting’ and how do we talk about gun violence?
What is a ‘mass shooting’ and how do we talk about gun violence?
In a Q&A, criminologist Richard Berk discusses why definitions matter and what role social media and mental illness play in this context.
Preventative measures against mass violence
Preventative measures against mass violence
Richard Berk, professor of criminology and statistics and chair of the Department of Criminology, taps into perpetrator patterns to forecast crime.
Documentary shows discriminatory impact of state legal assistance provision
Documentary shows discriminatory impact of state legal assistance provision
The Penn Program on Documentaries and the Law has produced a new documentary that exposes the discriminatory impact of a provision of the Pennsylvania Victims Assistance Compensation Program law that denies assistance to victims who contribute, or are suspected of contributing, to their own death or injury.
For incarcerated women, From Cell to Home offers a second chance
For incarcerated women, From Cell to Home offers a second chance
The program, run by the Ortner Center’s Kathleen M. Brown with support from Penn student volunteers and the Quattrone Center, works to secure the release of reformed prisoners serving life sentences.
Quattrone Center leads Philadelphia Event Review Team to analyze wrongful convictions
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.
States with strict gun laws see increase in homicides when they border states with lax ones
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.
In the News
Baltimore Sun
Baltimore gave $61M — 10% — of its COVID funds to public safety. Where did it go?
A study from the Crime and Justice Policy Lab at the School of Arts & Sciences estimates that Baltimore’s Group Violence Reduction Strategy reduced homicides and shootings in the city’s western police district by about a quarter and reduced carjackings by about a third.
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The Telegraph
Airbnb rentals ‘drive up crime rates’
A study co-authored by David Kirk of the School of Arts & Sciences suggests that Airbnb’s crime mitigation measures aren’t working properly.
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Twin Cities Pioneer Press
Nonfatal shootings usually have a low solve rate. St. Paul police focus on reversing that trend
Ben Struhl of the School of Arts & Sciences says it’s difficult to study whether there is a direct correlation between improving homicide clearance rates and decreased gun violence, though such a link would make sense.
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Philadelphia Citizen
Want students to succeed? Give them safe homes
A 2021 Penn study showed that home repairs in low-income, predominantly Black neighborhoods led to a decrease in crime.
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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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