“If all we ever do is call the police in, and we never invest in those other things, we’re just living in a police state,” said Jeffrey Butts, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “We sort of did that in the ’80s and ‘90s, and didn't get much back from it.”
CSM — CURBING CHICAGO CRIME, ONE JIGSAW CUT AT A TIME
“There’s a whole garden of approaches, with different styles and modalities and theories of change,” says Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. “What’s new, or seems new, is that we’ve reached the point that relying on law enforcement for all of our public safety problems became too obviously problematic.”
NY1 — Shootings Data Show New Trends in Gun Violence
“The things that cause crime to go up and down are largely societal, structural,” said Jeffrey Butts, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “It’s about employment, poverty rates, drug abuse, types of drug being abused, neighborhood conditions.”
Vital City — Balancing Deterrence and Prevention: The Role of Research
Public officials, community leaders and researchers must collaborate to measure the crime-reduction effects of community-centered prevention, but they must do so using professional evaluation methods to create a more balanced evidence base. The effort begins by understanding that securing coercive compliance through deterrence is not prevention.
National Catholic Register — How Restorative Justice Helped Make the Justice System Work Better in Seattle
If done properly, restorative justice can foster “the most natural human response to crime — to try to talk things through and resolve the conflict,” said Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.
Vital City — Balancing Deterrence and Prevention: The Role of Research
Prevention is different than deterrence, and it uses other tools and resources. It lowers risks and builds assets. Risks are obstacles to safety that often metastasize across individuals and increase harm to entire communities, including substance abuse, antisocial peers, unemployment, and family violence.v
Gothamist — Bridgewater Mall Incident Reignites New Jersey Debate over Police and Racial Profiling
For professor Jeffrey Butts of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, who has spent years studying juvenile justice, the video is clear evidence of the disparate treatment accorded young Black people by police, long a concern of activists and policymakers across New Jersey.
Fox News — Massive Crime Spike Stems from Social Unrest, COVID Lockdowns Destabilizing Communities: Expert
Professor Jeffrey Butts, the director of John Jay College’s Research and Evaluation Center, said that in some respects conservatives and liberals are on the same page with gun control. "The far left and the far right are actually pitching the same story," he said.
Boston Globe — For Some, Report on Mass. Traffic Stops Shows Stubborn Racial Biases Persist in Policing
Jeffrey Butts, the director of the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College, said Tuesday that the results of the study are “not surprising.” “When we talk about racial and ethnic bias in the justice system it’s always a little increment of bias at every stage . . . [it] ends up being a huge problem at the end,” he said.
New York Magazine — The Risks of Overselling Violence Interruption
The key, we heard over and over again, is to have cops work in tandem with community-based “violence interrupters” — credible messengers from troubled communities who have the savvy and connections to quietly intervene at critical moments and persuade gang members, dope dealers, and other weapon-carriers not to resort to violence.
Al Jazeera — Responding to Gun Violence in New York City
"If we start to define public safety though, in terms of how much money we spend on policing, that's the wrong approach."
Agence France-Presse — À New York, le Maire Eric Adams en Première Ligne Contre la Violence
Mais les mesures de durcissement sur la détention provisoire ou l’inculpation des jeunes, «séduisantes politiquement dans l’immédiat», sont «peu susceptibles d’améliorer la sécurité publique», juge Jeffrey Butts, professeur au John Jay College of Criminal Justice de l’université de New York.
La Nacion — Nueva York, ¿Laboratorio para Frenar la Violencia Armada?
“Nueva York es un gran laboratorio para ensayar estrategias porque tenemos una variedad de condados, pero todos en el mismo contexto político y cultural”, dijo a la AFP Jeffrey Butts, profesor e investigador del centro de Justicia Criminal John Jay, que ve necesario “un enfoque diverso”, para atajar la violencia que contemple la “disuasión, coerción y prevención”.
C-SPAN: Washington Journal
Jeffrey Butts interviewed on C-SPAN's Washington Journal program by host Bill Scanlan.
The City — Adams Anti-Gun Blueprint Puts ‘Cure Violence’ Groups Center Stage
Jeffrey Butts, who runs the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College, says setting up cure violence programs in a way that generates evidence of what methods work to reduce shootings will be essential going forward...
Barrons: Violent Killings Shock NY, Bring Back Bad Memories
Jeffrey Butts said the fact that America is awash with guns -- there are an estimated 400 million of them in the country, more than the population -- makes it prone to deadly violence.
Toledo Blade — Violence Interrupters: How to Measure Success in Toledo and Beyond
“They should not operate in hostility to law enforcement…but they need to operate almost autonomously,” said Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. “If the neighborhood starts to think that these programs are in cahoots with law enforcement, the young people in the neighborhood will stop talking to the workers.”
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY — SIPPRA
The New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice invited the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (JohnJayREC) to collaborate in the SIPPRA effort.
CONCEPTUALIZATION, IMPLEMENTATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF THE NEW YORK CITY MAYOR’S ACTION PLAN FOR NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY
New York City officials responded to adverse conditions in NYCHA developments by launching the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety in 2014. The initiative was designed to enhance the social and physical environment of housing developments in ways that improve public safety.
NPR — Michigan School Shooter is 1 of Thousands of U.S. Juveniles Charged as Adults in 2021
"If it's just supposed to send a message to that kid and all other people that we take this seriously and we're not going to stand for this behavior, therefore we're punishing you, then it accomplishes that purpose." But Butts says if the idea is to improve public safety or prevent future crime, decades of research show that is rarely the result.
Louisville Courier Journal — Louisville is Spending Millions to Stop Gun Violence Before it Starts. Here’s How it Works.
Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, is evaluating two crime reduction initiatives at the behest of New York City, which has been investing in a targeted focus on people involved in gun violence. They found the organizations funded through the city’s Office of Criminal Justice "don’t have enough information" because programs "aren’t asked to generate or collect data." "Everyone is running around doing what they think is right,” he said. “Every neighborhood says they know their people, their guys, their culture. But that makes it impossible to say whether the program itself is responsible for improvements in public safety.”
ABC News — Lessons from a ‘Violence Interrupter’ as Shootings Continue to Ravage Chicago
"[Violence interrupters] are from the same streets, grew up in the same areas and had the same experiences as young people and so they just have more access and access means influence," said Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "The possibility of influencing someone's behavior and attitude is stronger if you come at them as an equal."
Shooting Trends Vary Across Areas of New York City
Shootings in New York City remain a serious concern, and the most recent from NYPD data show different areas of the city are experiencing different trends.
NJ Spotlight News — New Jersey PBS
Jeffrey Butts interviewed as part of a story covering the release of a new report from New Jersey Policy Perspective.
WBAL News Radio BALTIMORE
Jeffrey Butts joined Yuripzy Morgan on WBAL News Radio in Baltimore, where City officials are launching new efforts to reduce community violence.
Jeffrey Butts 