Criminology

Aaron Chalfin of the School of Arts & Sciences said it would be risky for Democrats to engage in a debate over crime, as the recent uptick in violence “has reversed 20 years of progress in just 18 short months.” He said that although it “has little to do with Democratic political priorities at the national level, it seems likely that the Democrats will be held to account given the rhetoric around ‘Defund’ that is associated with the left wing of the party.”

Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine, School of Arts & Sciences, and Stuart Weitzman School of Design found that the crime rate on a given block was reduced by nearly 22% when the city of Philadelphia funded repairs for even a single house. “The social fabric of a neighborhood is very connected to the physical environment,” said the medical school’s Eugenia South.

David Abrams of the Law School spoke about rising crime rates in the U.S. "Homicides are, in most of these cities, outpacing—and in some cases by a lot—rates that we've seen for the last several years," he said. "It's pretty widespread. This is not just a D.C. phenomenon. It's not just a Chicago phenomenon."

David Abrams of the Law School spoke about fluctuating crime rates during the pandemic. “Any theory explaining the rise in homicides would also have to explain why we haven’t seen a spike in other kinds of crimes,” he said.

Marissa Bluestine of the Law School’s Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice spoke about the numerous innocence organizations working to exonerate wrongfully convicted people on death row in the U.S.

Marie Gottschalk of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about Larry Krasner’s tenure as Philadelphia’s district attorney. “Prosecutors have enormous discretion, but they don’t singlehandedly move the crime rate. They contribute to a wider culture of how you deal with crime,” she said. “Even if [crime] went dramatically down right now, I wouldn’t say, ‘Oh, that’s because of Larry Krasner.’”

David Abrams of the Law School said any hypothesis on the recent rise in homicides and shootings would also have to consider the overall decline in crime. “There are a ton of theories, almost none of which fit all the facts,” he said.

Richard Berk of the School of Arts & Sciences said the rise in gun violence could be linked to police pulling back in response to public scrutiny but cautioned against jumping to conclusions.

Richard Berk of the School of Arts & Sciences said an increase in gun violence may be tied to the pandemic, which has interfered with after-school programming and slowed the legal system’s ability to process cases.