Dec 2023

B2OF Policy Brief: Supporting Youth Safety and Education Re-Engagement

This policy brief outlines the first year of implementation of Back to Our Future (B2OF), a state-funded, district-led, evidence-informed effort to re-engage disconnected students at an elevated risk for gun violence involvement.

Related Resources
Choose to Change® (C2C®) Program Guide
Resource Guide

Choose to Change® (C2C®) Program Guide

Oct 2024

This program guide is intended for community-based organizations working to fill gaps in services and reach an underserved population of youth impacted by violence and trauma.

Building safer communities: Behavioral science innovations in youth violence prevention
Policy Brief

Building safer communities: Behavioral science innovations in youth violence prevention

Oct 2024

This policy brief highlights results from a large-scale randomized controlled trial that evaluated the impact of Choose to Change® (C2C®) on participants’ criminal justice involvement.

Unpacking the Impacts of a Youth Behavioral Health Intervention: Experimental Evidence from Chicago
Academic Paper

Unpacking the Impacts of a Youth Behavioral Health Intervention: Experimental Evidence from Chicago

Oct 2024

This working paper details results from a study of Choose to Change® (C2C®), a trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy and intensive mentoring program developed by nonprofits Brightpoint and Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP).

Improving Programming in Juvenile Detention: The Impact of Project Safe Neighborhoods Youth Outreach Forums
Academic Paper

Improving Programming in Juvenile Detention: The Impact of Project Safe Neighborhoods Youth Outreach Forums

May 2024

This paper presents the results of a randomized controlled trial of a youth outreach forums program run in the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center (JTDC) by the Northern Illinois Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force.

Latest Updates

Dominant technology is harming women, and alternatives are starved for resources
Op-Ed
Chicago Tribune
Oct 2024

Dominant technology is harming women, and alternatives are starved for resources

In his latest op-ed, Crime Lab Faculty Director Jens Ludwig details how the tech world has exploited and harmed women and argues for investment in technologies that promote social good.

University of Chicago says a CPS mentoring program drastically reduces arrests for violent crime
Media Mention
WBEZ
Oct 2024

University of Chicago says a CPS mentoring program drastically reduces arrests for violent crime

WBEZ’s Michael Puente covers the Crime Lab’s latest research on Choose to Change, a community violence intervention (CVI) program that aims to help young people in Chicago navigate a myriad of challenges, including high-stakes situations that could lead to violence.

Research shows signs of success in program stopping youth violence
Media Mention
Fox 32 Chicago
Oct 2024

Research shows signs of success in program stopping youth violence

Fox 32 Chicago covers new research from the University of Chicago Crime Lab showing how behavioral science interventions can reduce gun violence.