Associated Press—Wisconsin Juvenile Prisons Struggle to Change Course
Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York, said the Wisconsin prisons’ problems come from poor management. Staff who argue they need things like pepper spray, solitary confinement and shackles are saying “our culture within the facility has become so corrupted by violence we have no other options,” he said. The methods “are not necessary, they don’t work and they just lead to more violence,” said Butts, who has researched youth justice for nearly three decades. Continue reading Associated Press—Wisconsin Juvenile Prisons Struggle to Change Course
Columbus Dispatch—Why Don’t Local, State and Federal Crime Numbers Add Up?
Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said that in some ways, law enforcement never has been best equipped for crunching the numbers. Go to a police department and ask to be taken to the unit that does the crime reporting. Sometimes, it’s civilians with advanced degrees and computers, he said. “Other places, you walk in and it’s full of uniforms,” he said, pointing out that some departments view crime reporting as a desk job for officers who no longer want to work patrol. At a department such as the New York City Police Department, there are civilian research analysts with doctorates. Continue reading Columbus Dispatch—Why Don’t Local, State and Federal Crime Numbers Add Up?
Miami Herald — Lightning Blasted his Shoes off-and Illuminated a Pattern of Abuse by Staff
Jeffrey Butts is director of the Research and Evaluation Center at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and he’s worked with policymakers in 28 states, largely on youth justice. “It takes a high level of neglect for a long time for this stuff to emerge,” he said “It’s like black mold: It will grow if nobody is cleaning it up.” Continue reading Miami Herald — Lightning Blasted his Shoes off-and Illuminated a Pattern of Abuse by Staff
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. Continue reading Study: Community Program Reducing Violence in Two NYC Areas
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