Jan 2020
Rethinking the Benefits of Youth Employment Programs: The Heterogeneous Effects of Summer Jobs
This research paper presents the results of two randomized field experiments, which both involved offering supported summer job opportunities to different groups of young people in Chicago.
Choose to Change® (C2C®) Program Guide
This program guide is intended for community-based organizations working to fill gaps in services and reach an underserved population of youth impacted by violence and trauma.
Building safer communities: Behavioral science innovations in youth violence prevention
This policy brief highlights results from a large-scale randomized controlled trial that evaluated the impact of Choose to Change® (C2C®) on participants’ criminal justice involvement.
Unpacking the Impacts of a Youth Behavioral Health Intervention: Experimental Evidence from Chicago
This working paper details results from a study of Choose to Change® (C2C®), a trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy and intensive mentoring program developed by nonprofits Brightpoint and Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP).
Improving Programming in Juvenile Detention: The Impact of Project Safe Neighborhoods Youth Outreach Forums
This paper presents the results of a randomized controlled trial of a youth outreach forums program run in the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center (JTDC) by the Northern Illinois Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force.
Latest Updates
Dominant technology is harming women, and alternatives are starved for resources
In his latest op-ed, Crime Lab Faculty Director Jens Ludwig details how the tech world has exploited and harmed women and argues for investment in technologies that promote social good.
University of Chicago says a CPS mentoring program drastically reduces arrests for violent crime
WBEZ’s Michael Puente covers the Crime Lab’s latest research on Choose to Change, a community violence intervention (CVI) program that aims to help young people in Chicago navigate a myriad of challenges, including high-stakes situations that could lead to violence.
Research shows signs of success in program stopping youth violence
Fox 32 Chicago covers new research from the University of Chicago Crime Lab showing how behavioral science interventions can reduce gun violence.
