Crime On The Upper West Side Over the Decades

“Crime is constantly fluctuating,” said Dr. Jeffrey Butts, a research professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, in a recent phone interview. “The numbers go up and they go down,” he said, and looking at short-term changes doesn’t reflect meaningful trends. “You never understand the history of something until you can look at it with a little bit of distance.” Continue reading Crime On The Upper West Side Over the Decades

Bystanders in a Crowd: Main Street Shooting Among Many Similar Incidents

[Jeffrey] Butts is a research professor at the John John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He said prevention efforts have focused on youth intervention and economic disparity. “That was all designed for a pre-pandemic world,” Butts said. “An erosion of civilization happened with the pandemic. It seemed like society was coming apart. People were scared.” Continue reading Bystanders in a Crowd: Main Street Shooting Among Many Similar Incidents

Podcast — Are violence interrupters more effective than police?

Gun violence is a massive problem in American communities. And after decades of failed policies, some community members are taking matters in their own hands and working as violence interrupters. In this episode of Beyond Black History Month, we meet members of Save Our Streets, or SOS. We find out how some of the same people who once caused neighborhood violence are dedicating their lives to stopping it. Continue reading Podcast — Are violence interrupters more effective than police?

‘Defund the Police’ Is Dead But Other Reform Efforts Thrive In U.S. Cities

“My main concern is that [politicians] don’t care about the details, they just want to have a good sound bite and a good promotional campaign,” says Jeffrey Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. Continue reading ‘Defund the Police’ Is Dead But Other Reform Efforts Thrive In U.S. Cities

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

For Some, Report on Mass. Traffic Stops Shows Stubborn Racial Biases Persist in Policing

Jeffrey Butts, the director of the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College, said Tuesday that the results of the study are “not surprising.” “When we talk about racial and ethnic bias in the justice system it’s always a little increment of bias at every stage . . . [it] ends up being a huge problem at the end,” he said. Continue reading For Some, Report on Mass. Traffic Stops Shows Stubborn Racial Biases Persist in Policing

Nueva York, ¿Laboratorio para Frenar la Violencia Armada?

“Nueva York es un gran laboratorio para ensayar estrategias porque tenemos una variedad de condados, pero todos en el mismo contexto político y cultural”, dijo a la AFP Jeffrey Butts, profesor e investigador del centro de Justicia Criminal John Jay, que ve necesario “un enfoque diverso”, para atajar la violencia que contemple la “disuasión, coerción y prevención”. Continue reading Nueva York, ¿Laboratorio para Frenar la Violencia Armada?

Criminal Justice Expert Says Police Intervention Only Part Of Solution To New York City’s Gun Violence

Dr. Jeffrey Butts is the lead researcher at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which was commissioned by the city to assess the effectiveness of its anti-violence initiatives. Butts said police intervention is only the first step and societal factors must also be addressed. Continue reading Criminal Justice Expert Says Police Intervention Only Part Of Solution To New York City’s Gun Violence

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

US LAW ENFORCEMENT ‘VERY NERVOUS’ ABOUT PROACTIVE POLICING AS GUN VIOLENCE SOARS

“I’m an older white guy. I’m going to stop, I don’t feel threatened,” said Jeffrey Butts, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “There are people whose rational expectation is that (the stop) puts them in danger. They’re going to have different response. It’s amazing to me that we haven’t confronted that and individual police officers don’t think about that. They’re just shocked and angered by someone daring to not comply.” Continue reading US LAW ENFORCEMENT ‘VERY NERVOUS’ ABOUT PROACTIVE POLICING AS GUN VIOLENCE SOARS