News and Events

The Crime Lab’s experts and end-of-year analysis of Chicago crime trends are heavily featured in the latest Crain’s Forum on violence reduction.

Kim Smith, the Crime Lab’s Director of National Programs, speaks with Bloomberg’s Miranda Davis about the 2025 declines in violent crime in Chicago.

The New Yorker includes Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig’s book, “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence,” on its annual list of best books of the year.

Vital City included “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence,” a book written by Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig, in its 2025 holiday gift guide.

Jens Ludwig, the Crime Lab’s Pritzker Director, joined the Behavioral Grooves Podcast to discuss his new book, “Unforgiving Places,” which challenges society’s most entrenched assumptions about crime and uncovers what behavioral science reveals about the real causes of violence.

Laura Arnold, co-founder and co-chair of Arnold Ventures, recommends Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig’s book, “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence,” as a part of Bloomberg’s list of best books of the year.

Crime Lab leaders Katie Hill and Jens Ludwig penned an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune highlighting the root causes of gun violence and the growing body of research showing that increased neighborhood vibrancy generates surprisingly large changes in the prevalence of gun violence, by as much as 30%.

In The University of Chicago Magazine’s Fall ’25 issue, Susie Allen profiles Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig to discuss his book, “Unforgiving Places,” which challenges conventional wisdom on gun violence and suggests new approaches to solving the problem.

The Crime Lab’s Executive Director Katie Hill and Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig discuss evidence-based solutions to crime, including violence intervention and data-driven policing, in an op-ed for the Chicago Tribune.

Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy (CVILA) Program Managers Alesisia Cobb and Heather Bland sat down with alumni DeVita Briscoe from Seattle, WA and Nikesha Tilton from Selma, AL to discuss the progress of their capstone projects, their evolving leadership roles, and the systemic changes they’re pushing forward in their cities and states.