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

Unraveling the Threads of America’s Gun Culture
Op-Ed
Nov 2023

Unraveling the Threads of America’s Gun Culture

Megan Kang, a Crime Lab affiliate and Ph.D. candidate in sociology at Princeton University, outlines new historical evidence that charts the growth in firearm ownership.

Chicago nonprofits gather to discuss progress, solutions for gun violence
Media Mention
CBS Chicago
Nov 2023

Chicago nonprofits gather to discuss progress, solutions for gun violence

CBS Chicago’s Darius Johnson speaks with the Crime Lab’s Kim Smith and Dar’tavous Dorsey about the goals of the event, which hosted nearly 50 nonprofits from every corner of Chicago for its first gun violence prevention expo.

Strides for Peace to debut Gun Violence Prevention Expo
Media Mention
Chicago Star Media
Nov 2023

Strides for Peace to debut Gun Violence Prevention Expo

Strides for Peace hosted a new expo focusing on gun violence prevention in Chicago, featuring an information session from the Crime Lab’s Chico Tillmon.