However, Delgado and Jeff Butts, director of John Jay’s research and evaluation center, said they did not know yet whether these drops could be related to the increase in trust, and Butts cautioned against reading too much into numbers and trends that still only focused on a one year difference. “At this point, we don’t really know about cause and effect,” he said. “You always want to do a survey at least three times,” he continued, “and some of them might be genuine, but others might disappear when you go to time three.” Continue reading DNAinfo — Trust in NYPD on the Rise in South Bronx, Survey Shows

Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research & Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said he believes the prosecution of youths as adults should be used when it’s clear a juvenile will likely continue to commit serious crime. Otherwise, it shouldn’t, he said. “It basically destroys a person’s future,” Butts said. “We know it makes things worse; but we use it if it’s necessary to prevent something even worse.” Continue reading The New Orleans Advocate—In New Orleans, ‘Eligible’ Delinquents Increasingly Routed to Adult Courts, Prisons

Jeffrey Butts, a report author, criticized removing a young person from his neighborhood “in hopes that you can eliminate some of the negative influences when at the same time destroying the positive influences.” He said nothing is added by keeping the youths too far away from home. Butts, the director of John Jay’s Research and Evaluation Center, cautioned against reading too much into the numbers. Juvenile crime has been declining nationally for years and detention placements, among other factors, also declined. However, the report said, the program was successful in changing the culture of the juvenile justice system by enhancing the role of families and communities in the rehabilitation process. Continue reading Albany Times Union—Juvenile Justice Changes ‘Successful,” John Jay College Study Shows

Adding additional police is a typical reaction to outbursts of violence, but that’s not enough, said Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “City officials have to do something,” Butts said. “They don’t know where to turn. They don’t have the luxury of making long-term investments to build strong communities, so they turn to the quick solution. … If you never make those long-term investments, then you live in a constant state of emergency.” Continue reading Delaware News Journal—Search for Solutions to Violence is Ongoing