Policy and Program Evaluation
We work with government agencies and community-based partners to rigorously evaluate gun violence intervention programs and criminal justice policy reforms.
Across every project or partner, we work to generate high-quality research about the factors driving public safety trends and identify evidence-based interventions to save lives. Access to good and unbiased data is the common denominator for strong evaluation, which is why we pursue data-sharing agreements with public agencies and seek to make our own data publicly available whenever possible. We focus on policies and programs that are supporting the communities and individuals most impacted by gun violence and criminal justice system harms.
From leading randomized controlled trials — the gold standard in research — to evaluating historical and real-time data, the Crime Lab uses a variety of methods to rigorously evaluate policies and interventions.
Latest Updates
What new tactic Knoxville police and city officials say helped reduce shootings in 2024
The Knoxville News Sentinel’s Myron Thompson cites a Crime Lab study showing that streets with more lighting see a decline in crime.
Chicago violence: City sees fewer than 600 murders in 2024 for 1st time since 2019; shootings, carjackings also down
ABC 7’s Craig Wall covers the Crime Lab’s year-end analysis of crime trends in Chicago showing that despite encouraging signs of progress, Black Chicagoans are still 20 times more likely than their white counterparts to be killed by a gun or to be a victim of a homicide.
Maintaining violent crime decline is Chicago’s evergreen resolution
The Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board provides commentary on the promising declines in violence from the Crime Lab’s end-of-year analysis and the need for continued support for successful violence prevention programs.
