In a podcast interview with the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, I discussed gun violence prevention and the need to maintain a balanced evidence base.
New York Public Radio– The Docket: The Tessa Majors Case and the State of New York’s Juvenile Justice System
The Tessa Majors case is a test for New York's recently-enacted Raise The Age law, which barred the state from automatically prosecuting 16- and 17-year-olds as adults. Jeffrey Butts, who leads John Jay College's Research and Evaluation Center, told Floyd that this is the exact kind of case that the law's critics could use as leverage to reverse it.
National Journal Brazil – Easy Access to Firearms Returns to Center of Debate in United States
31 Deaths in Two Sniper Attacks in a Few Hours Increases Pressure for Congress to Change the Law National Journal, Brazil August 6, 2019 [Translation by Google. Probably Imperfect.] The ease of buying a firearm has returned to the center of debate in the United States. The 31 deaths in two attacks over the weekend … Continue reading National Journal Brazil – Easy Access to Firearms Returns to Center of Debate in United States
WNYC: Governor to Defund a Program
Nonetheless, outside experts say the program has started to show results. Residents “stay connected with their families and they are more likely to remain in local schools,” wrote Prof. Jeffrey Butts, from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice’s Research and Evaluation Center, in a 44-page report on Close to Home in 2015.
NY1— Study: Community Program Reducing Violence in Two NYC Areas
Grassroots organizations have often argued they can stop violence in a way the police department cannot. NY1 News reports on a new study by John Jay College's Research and Evaluation Center that shows some of those community programs are making a difference.
A&E Documentary — Kids Who Kill
2017 documentary focuses on cases of young people convicted of various forms of murder and homicide. Includes several of my comments and observations.
CBS This Morning—”Wheel of Fugitive” in Florida
It reinforces the public's "blood lust" for seeing people punished. It also reinforces the offenders' sense of being rejected and excluded from society.
WRVA NewsRadio—Immigration and Crime
Researchers have been looking at this for a number of years, and the conclusion that most people reach is "no." ... There is no direct link, or there is no differential probability of crime due to the size of your immigrant population.
WRVA NewsRadio—Changing Crime Rates
It's really hard to just point to one thing. The problem with the crime debate right now is that there are so many people who want to point to just one thing. ... Everyone wants to claim credit.
CBS This Morning—California Mystery
CBS report included excerpts of an interview with me.
WNYC — Waiting for Violence to Break Out
“We don’t divulge matters that we work hard on to the police, and the police know that about us,” Mitchell said. “We're not sharing information that may be helpful in some sort of investigation. That's not or role." That code of silence lead to the demise of a Cure Violence group in Chicago, according to Jeffrey Butts, director of the research and evaluation center at John Jay College. "The precinct can feel aggrieved to find out this whole episode of violence that just happened was known, that people knew that it was about to happen and no one told the police,” Butts said.
CBS News—Prayers vs. Gun Policy
In the wake of the San Bernardino shooting, politicians are being shamed for online posts about gun control with many critics saying that "prayers won't do anything" to stop more attacks. Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, joins CBSN with more insight.
CBS News — Sandra Bland Arrest
Live interview with CBSN following the shooting of Sandra Bland.
ESPN — Over the Line
Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, reviewed Outside the Lines’ methodology and said it was a valid way to measure differences in prosecution. He said it would have been helpful to include only students in the subset of 18- to 24-year-old males, but that information was not available for each case. ... As to the findings showing the difference in the percentage of athlete cases compared with 18- to 24-year-old males in which no charges were filed or they were dropped or dismissed, Butts said: “In the field of justice, that could be a substantial difference. … It’s definitely a reason to look more deeply into it to find the reasons why.”
CBS News—Did N.Y. Prison Worker Help Two Murderers Escape?
I was interviewed by CBS for a story about a prison escape and they quoted one of the dumbest things I said.
CBS News—“Bikes up, guns down”
And even though the riders were pushing a message of peace, police said they broke the law. "There's less chance of being stopped, less chance of being caught and punished if you're with a large group that overwhelms the capacity of law enforcement to intervene," sociologist Jeffrey Butts said. The group ride trend has become, at times, menacing, resulting in confrontations with police officers and other drivers.
CBS This Morning—Santa Barbara Shootings
Criminologist Jeffrey Butts argues that Rogers' ability to remain composed likely diminished any concern. ... "We try to protect civil liberties; we try to protect the freedoms we all enjoy while also creating a safety net or buffer for people who are in serious trouble, and we're just not very good at it."
CBS News—Missed Warning Signs in Santa Barbara
Criminologist Jeffrey Butts says the system is flawed. "The problem is that law enforcement people should not be asked to do that -- to screen people and to assess whether they pose a threat to themselves or others. That should be done by a clinician of some kind."
Wisconsin Public Radio—”Knockout Game” and Media Responsibility
November 26, 2013 - 7:00 a.m. (CST) A growing number of stories involving teens punching random people, knocking them unconscious, are being reported across the country. Joy Cardin’s guest criminologist discusses the “Knockout Game,” why he says the media is reacting “hysterically” to the matter, and what can be done about it.
WYNC – Is the News Media Over-Hyping “The Knockout Game?”
"The Knockout Game" is a phenomenon where teens assault strangers by trying to knock them out with one punch. Is this a new trend? Is the media making it worse? Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice at CUNY assesses the patterns behind this story and how it's being addressed by the media.
Public Radio Special Report: A Look Inside Moriah Shock Prison
Even critics of [shock incarceration] agree that this kind of commitment among the staff is valuable. Jeffrey Butts directs the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College. Butts says that if the only contribution of this program is to make the staff focus on structure, and having a theory that they follow so that their behavior is consistent and they respond consistently to people and incidents as they come up, then this is preferable to a facility or correctional program with no structure and no plan. "But that does not mean that there is some magic potion that they’ve discovered," says Butts.
National Public Radio — Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network
Today, we will talk to Laura Saunders, a child and adolescent psychologist from Hartford Hospital’s Institute of Living. She’ll tell us how violence affects the development of both children and their families. We’ll also talk with Jeffrey Butts, a researcher at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and Lou Gilbert, the director of a Hartford program that works with children who’ve witnessed violence, as well as Robert Plant, a Department of Children and Families director of community services, who can talk about what that state organization is doing with this population.
WHYY—Youth Courts and the Value of a Jury of Their Peers
Research shows that young people who participate in youth court or teen court programs may have lower rates of recidivism. Adults involved in the programs attribute much of their success to the influence of positive peer pressure and the value of giving young people a voice in the process. Joining Radio Times host Marty Moss-Coaneus to tell the story of youth courts are Jeffrey Butts of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, who has evaluated teen court programs across the country; and attorney Gregg Volz, who has implemented school-based youth courts in Chester.
WBEZ Chicago – New Study Examines Alternatives to Juvenile Detention
The number of kids sent to youth prison from Cook County declined dramatically between 1997 and 2004. According to a new report out today from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, that’s thanks to a cluster of reforms that divert youth away from pretrial detention and into more community-oriented forms of supervision. Jeffrey Butts is a research fellow at the University of Chicago’s Chapin Hall Center for Children. He’s looked at the numbers behind the report, and done some crunching of his own. He says policy reforms are only part of the reason for the decrease.
American Public Media – Crime and the Gap Between Rich and Poor
The FBI says violent crime rates are rising. The increase is occurring as the gap between rich and poor is the widest its been since World War II. Steve Henn looked into whether expanding economic inequality could be causing crime to increase. ... But Criminologists say in some ways, this is all kind of predictable. Jeffrey Butts: "The transition zones between wealth and poverty are where the opportunities for crime are greatest."
Jeffrey Butts 