Crime & Criminal Justice Research

Beyond its direct impact on the roughly 2 million Americans incarcerated in U.S. jails and prisons, the criminal justice system affects enormous numbers of families and communities in profound ways. Contact with the system can have serious consequences for one’s ability to secure a job, qualify for benefits, and find stable housing, among other consequences. Given serious racial disparities, high costs, and the general effectiveness and humanity of this system, it is imperative that thoughtful and deliberate policy research guide reform efforts at every level. The Crime and Criminal Justice Policy Initiative, led by Professor Steven Raphael, employs rigorous research methods to inform criminal justice policy among researchers, at think tanks, and at agencies at all levels of government. Through theoretical modeling, quasi-experimental and experimental empirical study, the initiative investigates issues ranging from drug interdiction efforts in U.S. prisons, to pre-trial detention policy, to racially disparate impacts of policing practice. 

FACULTY LEADERSHIP