Butts cautioned against inferring cause and effect or making substantial policy changes in response to what could turn out to be a temporary variation. The wide range of communities in which increases in homicides occurred indicates the trend has relatively little to do with local policies and conditions.
CBC News — Prospects for Police Reform in the U.S.
Public safety is largely about social conditions and the extent to which people feel secure, not only in their own homes but in their communities in terms of housing and healthcare and education, food supply. If those things are all taken care of, you don't need policing as much as you would otherwise.
The New Yorker — Fighting America’s Gun Plague
In 2020, shootings in New York City were up more than eighty per cent. Working with high-school students, Shaina Harrison is on a mission to stem the carnage. by Ian Frazier March 29, 2021 ... N.Y.A.G.V. has successfully lobbied the state legislature to pass major gun-safety measures. A law now requires that all guns in homes … Continue reading The New Yorker — Fighting America’s Gun Plague
ABC7 New York — New York to Legalize, Regulate Marijuana
Interviewed by local ABC affiliate in New York City for story about lawmakers in announcing a deal on a bill to legalize, tax, and regulate recreational marijuana in New York State.
Gothamist — After A Painfully Violent 2020, NYC Shootings Continue To Spike
Jeffrey Butts, the director of the Research & Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, says the pandemic has exacerbated societal shortcomings that existed well before the health crisis.
New York Post — Teen Busted Nine Times Could Get Sweetheart Deal — For Graduating High School
“In general, courts and legislatures do tend to leave a little wiggle room for judicial interpretation, and of course prosecutors always hate that,” said Jeffrey Butts, head of the Research Evaluation Center at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
The City — Five Days Without Cops: Could Brooklyn Policing Experiment be a ‘Model for the Future’?
Jeffrey Butts, who has done extensive research on cure-violence initiatives, also questioned how far the experiment could go.
Webinar: Positive Youth Outcomes
Recording of a webinar for the Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators in December 2020. Two parts: Presentation and Q&A that follows.
The Trace — Polls Signal an Opening for Alternative Anti-Violence Strategies
“I would guess both numbers are about fear. Fear of crime has fallen with the declining rate of serious crime, while the public has learned more about the harm that can result from excessive punishment,” said Jeffrey A. Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “Similarly, the NRA and other gun merchants have been using fear of government to sell firearms and impede reforms.”
