Recidivism: Use with Caution

A Deceptively Simple Measure in a Complex and Contentious System by Sumita (Mira) Das and Jeffrey A. Butts John Jay College Research and Evaluation Center June 2026 The foundations of recidivism as an outcome measure presume that interventions by the criminal justice system reduce future criminality. As interventions become more severe, reaching a pinnacle with incarceration, the effects on criminality should increase. Yet, criminological research … Continue reading Recidivism: Use with Caution

How to Get Your Hands on Good Violent Crime Data

by Kaitlin WashburnAssociation of Health Care JournalistsApril 22, 2026 It’s a regular struggle on the gun violence beat to find good data that’s up-to-date and comprehensive — a reality we frequently cover on this page. A recent webinar from Harvard’s Shorenstein Center laid out several useful tips and sources for good gun violence data. … [Jeffrey] Butts, of John Jay, also discussed the state of … Continue reading How to Get Your Hands on Good Violent Crime Data