How to Think about Criminal Justice Reform: Conceptual and Practical Considerations, by Charis E. Kubrin and Rebecca Tublitz

How can we improve the effectiveness of criminal justice reform efforts? Effective reform hinges on shared understandings of what the problem is and shared visions of what success looks like. But consensus is hard to come by, and there has long been a distinction between “policy talk” or how problems are defined and solutions are promoted, and “policy action” or the design and adoption of certain policies. In this essay, we seek to promote productive thinking and talking about, as well as designing of, effective and sustainable criminal justice reforms. To this end, we offer reflections on underlying conceptual and practical considerations relevant for both criminal justice policy talk and action.

Read the full article here: https://rdcu.be/c1ZJS

While the net change in demographics of a neighborhood likely impacts how levels of crime change, this study explores whether it matters who leaves a neighborhood, and who is entering the neighborhood–that is, the flows of people in or out of a neighborhood. Using a novel demographic accounting technique that allows computing who is leaving or entering a neighborhood based on race/ethnicity, age, or length of residence, the study finds that there are some somewhat surprising results indicating which neighborhoods are more likely to experience crime increases. For example, neighborhoods in which young adults (aged 15 to 29) are relatively trapped experience larger crime increases, while the stability of middle-aged residents is beneficial for neighborhoods. The results are found using data on neighborhoods in Southern California across two decades (2000-10 and 2010-17).

You can access the article by lab alumnus Dr. John R. Hipp and lab alum Alyssa Chamberlain in the journal Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency entitled, “Who Leaves and Who Enters? Flow Measures of Neighborhood Change and Consequences for Neighborhood Crime.””.