Reducing Gun Violence, Advancing Justice

The Latest
Coming April 21, 2025 – Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence
Resource

Coming April 21, 2025 – Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence

Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig authored a book that argues the lack of progress in reducing gun violence ultimately stems from our having misunderstood the nature of the problem, and that behavioral science gives us a new way to understand – and solve – gun violence in America.

Policing Leadership Academy
Project

Policing Leadership Academy

The Policing Leadership Academy (PLA) is designed to increase safety and fairness in America’s most violent neighborhoods.

CVI Leadership Academy
Project

CVI Leadership Academy

The Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy (CVILA) is a first-of-its-kind program to train community violence intervention leaders from across America.

The Crime Lab designs, tests, and scales data-driven innovations to improve the public sector’s response to the dual challenges of America’s gun violence crisis and a criminal justice system that is not truly just.

Given its scale, when it comes to gun violence and the criminal justice system, the government can cause the most harm from its failure–or have the greatest positive impact. That’s why working with public sector agencies to improve their response is central to the Crime Lab’s work: it’s the best way to make progress at scale.

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See how Griffin Catalyst is powering the Policing Leadership Academy.

Graduates at the Policing Leadership Academy graduation of its third cohort.

Topics

Our goal is to have an outsized impact on our streets, in our courts, and across our justice system to support neighborhoods disproportionately suffering from these crises. That’s why the Crime Lab measures success in terms of real-world results.

Explore Our Approach

Community Violence Intervention

Community Violence Intervention

Through a combination of street outreach by credible messengers and behavioral science-informed interventions, community violence intervention (CVI) programs help de-escalate stressful situations before they lead to violence.

Criminal Justice Reform

Criminal Justice Reform

We're advancing long overdue reforms to reduce the harms of America's broken criminal justice system.

Gun Violence

Gun Violence

In cities across America, communities face high rates of gun violence and significant harm caused by the criminal justice system – both of which disproportionately impact communities of color.

Policing

Policing

If we want to address America’s gun violence epidemic and save lives today, fair and effective policing is essential. But for too many communities, we are failing to deliver that kind of policing.

Youth Violence

Youth Violence

Gun violence is the leading cause of death for young people in America. But youth violence interventions can help keep kids safe and reach those who are the hardest to reach.

Latest News & Events

Unforgiving Places: The Behavioral Science of Ending Gun Violence
Event
University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Feb 2025

Unforgiving Places: The Behavioral Science of Ending Gun Violence

In this talk hosted by Chicago Booth’s Think Better Speaker Series, Jens Ludwig will argue that the lack of progress in reducing gun violence ultimately stems from our having misunderstood the nature of the problem, and that behavioral science gives us a new way to understand – and solve – gun violence in America.

Welcome Greg Jackson, advisor to the University of Chicago Crime Lab’s CVI Leadership Academy
Announcement
UChicago Crime Lab
Feb 2025

Welcome Greg Jackson, advisor to the University of Chicago Crime Lab’s CVI Leadership Academy

The University of Chicago Crime Lab is thrilled to share that Gregory N. Jackson will be joining our team as an advisor to our Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy (CVILA).

Are We Thinking About Gun Violence All Wrong?
Podcast
The Atlantic
Feb 2025

Are We Thinking About Gun Violence All Wrong?

Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig sat down with Jerusalem Demsas for The Atlantic’s Good on Paper podcast to preview his upcoming book, “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence,” and discuss the behavioral science-informed solutions that could reduce gun violence in American cities.