The historic decline in homicide has become one of the most important public safety developments in decades. Yet even as the drop continues, the factors behind it remain unclear, leaving researchers, policymakers, and practitioners asking what changed, why it happened so quickly, and what can be done to sustain the progress.
To examine those critical questions, the Council on Criminal Justice in September convened four dozen leading crime scholars to assess nearly 50 potential explanations ranging from changes in policing strategies and technologies to broad shifts in society and culture. Drawing on existing research, recent trends, and their own expertise, participants rated each as likely major, limited, or negligible/non-contributors.
In this webinar, CCJ discussed a summary of the key takeaways and hosted a conversation with four of the participants about the explanations they found most plausible, what shaped those judgments, and what the findings suggest for sustaining progress.
Panelists
- Thaddeus Johnson, Senior Fellow, Council on Criminal Justice
- Stephanie Kennedy, Policy Director, Council on Criminal Justice
- Charles Lehman, Senior Fellow, The Manhattan Institute
- Andrew Papachristos, John G. Searle Professor of Sociology, Northwestern University
- John Roman, Senior Fellow and Director, Center on Public Safety and Justice, NORC at the University of Chicago
- Abby Walsh, Vice President, Strategy and Operations, Council on Criminal Justice
