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Kim Smith

Director of National Programs and External Engagement

773.834.4292

kimberleys@uchicago.edu

In Chicago, cognitive behavioral therapy shows promise curbing youth violence
Media Mention NPR February 17, 2025

In Chicago, cognitive behavioral therapy shows promise curbing youth violence

NPR’s Meg Anderson reported on Chicago’s Choose to Change (C2C), a program that combines trauma-informed therapy with wraparound supports and aims to reduce youth violence. The Crime Lab found that the program can effectively and sustainably reduce violence involvement and the likelihood of being arrested.

Unforgiving Places: The Behavioral Science of Ending Gun Violence
Event University of Chicago Booth School of Business February 19, 2025

Unforgiving Places: The Behavioral Science of Ending Gun Violence

In this talk hosted by Chicago Booth’s Think Better Speaker Series, Jens Ludwig argued 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.

Do the Police Have a Management Problem?
Podcast Freakonomics Radio December 6, 2023

Do the Police Have a Management Problem?

Crime Lab Pritzker Director Dr. Jens Ludwig was featured on the latest Freakonomics Radio episode with Policing Leadership Academy participants and leaders. In this episode, Jens and Freakonomics Radio host Stephen J. Dubner discussed our Policing Leadership Academy and the importance of professionalizing police leadership to effectively reduce gun violence.

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The Alumni Dispatch: Leveling Up with the CVILA
Q&A
UChicago Crime Lab
May 2025

The Alumni Dispatch: Leveling Up with the CVILA

Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy (CVILA) Program Manager Alesisia Cobb sat down with alumni DuJuan “Zoe” Kennedy (Cohort 1), Tracie Campbell (Cohort 2), and Rahaman Kilpatrick (Cohort 3) to discuss the ways their CVILA experience has contributed to their professional growth.

We’ve Been Thinking About Gun Violence All Wrong
Op-Ed
TIME
May 2025

We’ve Been Thinking About Gun Violence All Wrong

Jens Ludwig, Crime Lab Pritzker Director and author of “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence,” pens an op-ed for TIME Magazine arguing that the root cause of gun violence is not what we think it is — rather than a deliberate, rational act, most shootings start with arguments that escalate and end in tragedy because someone has a gun.

The Indicator from Planet Money: What we misunderstand about gun violence
Podcast
NPR
May 2025

The Indicator from Planet Money: What we misunderstand about gun violence

Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig joins NPR’s The Indicator from Planet Money podcast to discuss why he believes many of us fundamentally misunderstand the problem of gun violence and how behavioral economics reveals some potential solutions.

Jens Ludwig — Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence
Event
Politics and Prose Bookstore
May 2025

Jens Ludwig — Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence

Join Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig for a book talk and signing at Politics and Prose Bookstore at Union Market in Washington, DC for his upcoming book, “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence.”

How to stop gun violence before it starts, with Jens Ludwig
Podcast
Big Brains Podcast
May 2025

How to stop gun violence before it starts, with Jens Ludwig

Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig joins Paul Rand on the University of Chicago’s Big Brains podcast to discuss his new book, “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence,” which argues we need to address behavioral causes of crime, in addition to policy and policing.

Rethinking Gun Violence
Q&A
Vital City
May 2025

Rethinking Gun Violence

Vital City sat down with Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig to discuss his new book, Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence,” which shows how changing individual behavior is possible — and that these changes can result in declines in gun violence.

The 60-year-old book that can help cities reduce gun violence
Op-Ed
Boston Globe
Apr 2025

The 60-year-old book that can help cities reduce gun violence

Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig pens an op-ed for the Boston Globe that challenges conventional wisdom about how to reduce gun violence.

People I (Mostly) Admire: A Solution to America’s Gun Problem
Podcast
Freakonomics Radio
Apr 2025

People I (Mostly) Admire: A Solution to America’s Gun Problem

Freakonomics Radio’s Steven D. Levitt sits down with Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig to discuss idea for how to fix America’s gun violence problem by rejecting conventional wisdom from both sides of the political aisle.

Jens Ludwig and Chief Bill Scott: The Unexpected Origins of Gun Violence
Event
Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California
Apr 2025

Jens Ludwig and Chief Bill Scott: The Unexpected Origins of Gun Violence

Join Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig for a book talk and signing at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, CA for his upcoming book, “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence.”

Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence
Announcement
UChicago Crime Lab
Apr 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.