Dec 2014

Summer Jobs Reduce Violence among Disadvantaged Youth

Sara Heller

This article in the journal Science explores the impact of a summer employment program in Chicago on disadvantaged youths and their propensity for violent crimes.

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Choose to Change® (C2C®) Program Guide
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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.

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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.

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

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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).

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

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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

How a study in the Stockholm subway could help prevent violent crime
Op-Ed
New Scientist
May 2025

How a study in the Stockholm subway could help prevent violent crime

We need to learn the lessons from an ingenious piece of research done in Sweden and radically change policies around interpersonal violence, says UChicago Crime Lab director Jens Ludwig.

‘Definitely a cause for hope’ UChicago economist says of new book on causes of gun violence
Op-Ed
WBEZ Chicago
May 2025

‘Definitely a cause for hope’ UChicago economist says of new book on causes of gun violence

America has a fundamental misunderstanding of what drives gun violence, and it’s prevented us from solving the problem. That’s according to the new book “Unforgiving Places”, by University of Chicago economist and Crime Lab director Jens Ludwig.

Understanding Gun Violence in America
Q&A
Economics Applied
May 2025

Understanding Gun Violence in America

Steve Davies and Jens Ludwig discuss why America has so many gun deaths, how traditional narratives fail to explain most gun violence, and why past policies failed to reduce the deadly toll. Ludwig speaks about his new book, grounded in evidence and behavioral insights to further explain gun violence.