Shootings Rise in Bronx, Fall in Brooklyn, as Anti-gun Efforts Start

“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.” Continue reading Shootings Rise in Bronx, Fall in Brooklyn, as Anti-gun Efforts Start

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.” Continue reading CURBING CHICAGO CRIME, ONE JIGSAW CUT AT A TIME

Crime Statistics and Politics are a Deadly Mix

“Sadly, I’ve dedicated my life to using facts and data to influence crime policy. I don’t think we’re any better at it than we were 30 years ago,” Butts said. He has seen both Democrats and Republicans try to use crime stats to scare voters. It’s hard to stop them because “politics was way out ahead of information and the facts.” Continue reading Crime Statistics and Politics are a Deadly Mix