Reporte revela que reforma a ley de aumento a la edad de responsabilidad penal en NY no ha generado aumento en crímenes juveniles

“Hipotéticamente, los desafíos de enjuiciamiento introducidos por la ley estatal podrían haber contribuido al aumento de los delitos violentos, pero ese efecto no es evidente en los datos policiales de la ciudad de Nueva York”, agregó el reporte. Continue reading Reporte revela que reforma a ley de aumento a la edad de responsabilidad penal en NY no ha generado aumento en crímenes juveniles

What We’ve Learned — and Failed to Learn — from a Million COVID Deaths

Many criminologists blame the pandemic and its societal and economic disruptions for the spike in homicides over the past couple of years. “It’s not that the whole society fell apart,” says Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “It’s just that there are enough people who were already living on the edge, and this pushed them off of it.” Continue reading What We’ve Learned — and Failed to Learn — from a Million COVID Deaths

In Portsmouth, Violence Interrupters Defuse Tense Scenes Before the Bullets Fly

Jeffrey Butts, a researcher at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, likens it to the decades-long — and eventually successful — campaign to end smoking. “So can that strategy be used to reduce the incidence of gun violence? And that’s the big question,” Butts said. Continue reading In Portsmouth, Violence Interrupters Defuse Tense Scenes Before the Bullets Fly

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 Continue reading Vital City — Balancing Deterrence and Prevention: The Role of Research

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. Continue reading Bridgewater Mall Incident Reignites New Jersey Debate over Police and Racial Profiling

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. Continue reading Conceptualization, Implementation, and Management of the New York City Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood 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. Continue reading NPR — Michigan School Shooter is 1 of Thousands of U.S. Juveniles Charged as Adults in 2021

NYC Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative

In 2021, the New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) engaged the assistance of the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (JohnJayREC) to support several research and data analytic projects associated with a City effort to improve public safety and the effectiveness of the justice system. Continue reading NYC Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative

A 7-Year-Old Was Accused of Rape. Is Arresting Him the Answer?

There appears to be little, if any, organized opposition to raising the age of delinquency. But those who resist say doing so would hamstring the legal system, according to Jeffrey A. Butts, the director of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice’s Research and Evaluation Center. In rare cases involving a particularly dangerous child, he said, incarceration may prevent them from being a risk to others. Continue reading A 7-Year-Old Was Accused of Rape. Is Arresting Him the Answer?

Teen Busted Nine Times Could Get Sweetheart Deal — For Graduating High School

“In general, courts and legislatures do tend to leave a little wiggle room for judicial interpretation, and of course prosecutors always hate that,” said Jeffrey Butts, head of the Research Evaluation Center at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Continue reading Teen Busted Nine Times Could Get Sweetheart Deal — For Graduating High School