Nov 2021

Policing Substance Use: Chicago’s Treatment Program for Narcotics Arrests – Working Paper

Panka Bencsik

This working paper sheds light on the effectiveness of diversion programs by showcasing Chicago’s drug diversion program success in reducing drug-related arrests.

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Transforming Criminal Justice Responses to Substance Use: Impacts on Crime, Housing, and Health Outcomes

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This paper evaluates the impact of diverting individuals who possess drugs away from arrest and into substance use treatment in Chicago between 2010-2022.

Agent-Based Model of Combined Community- and Jail-Based Take-Home Naloxone Distribution
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Agent-Based Model of Combined Community- and Jail-Based Take-Home Naloxone Distribution

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This paper outlines the impact and cost-effectiveness of naloxone distribution, particularly for people facing criminal justice involvement.

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Brookings Institution Commentary: Making the invisible epidemic visible
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Brookings Institution Commentary: Making the invisible epidemic visible

Aug 2023

Using new data from a large urban trauma center in Chicago, we document substantial under-reporting of domestic violence at the time of receiving medical care.

Latest Updates

Kelly Leonard: How improv can help police do their job
Media Mention
WGN Radio 720
Mar 2025

Kelly Leonard: How improv can help police do their job

Kelly Leonard joins WGN’s John Williams to discuss The Second City’s partnership with the Crime Lab’s Policing Leadership Academy that’s using improv to help officers improve their communication skills.

Novel approaches can chip away at gun violence, and make a big difference
Op-Ed
Chicago Sun Times
Apr 2025

Novel approaches can chip away at gun violence, and make a big difference

In an op-ed for the Chicago Sun-Times, Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig argues that when it comes to gun violence, we’ve been focused on the wrong solutions – a key insight from his new book, “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence.”

New book challenges conventional wisdom on Chicago shootings
Media Mention
WGN TV
May 2025

New book challenges conventional wisdom on Chicago shootings

Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig joins WGN’s Mike Lowe for an interview to discuss his new book “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence,” and how the book challenges our conventional wisdom about why shootings occur and how we can make progress on gun violence.