Oct 2023
Crime Lab Overview
This document provides an overview of our work.

Transforming Criminal Justice Responses to Substance Use: Impacts on Crime, Housing, and Health Outcomes
This paper evaluates the impact of diverting individuals who possess drugs away from arrest and into substance use treatment in Chicago between 2010-2022.

Agent-Based Model of Combined Community- and Jail-Based Take-Home Naloxone Distribution
This paper outlines the impact and cost-effectiveness of naloxone distribution, particularly for people facing criminal justice involvement.

Empirical Analysis of Prediction Mistakes in New York City Pretrial Data

Brookings Institution Commentary: Making the invisible epidemic visible
Using new data from a large urban trauma center in Chicago, we document substantial under-reporting of domestic violence at the time of receiving medical care.
Latest Updates
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.

A History of Violence
Chicago Magazine’s Paula Kamen profiles Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig to discuss his new book, “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence,” which offers social policy strategies for creating safer communities.

Editorial: A recognition that good policing starts from the top
The Crain’s Editorial Board highlights a $15 million gift from the Sue Ling Gin Foundation to support the Crime Lab in adapting its Policing Leadership Academy to provide management training to the Chicago Police Department’s leadership ranks.
