How Research Is Reshaping Criminal Justice Policy With Jennifer Doleac
Today, Iβm talking with my friend Jennifer Doleac, Executive Vice President of Criminal Justice at Arnold Ventures, about how research makes better choices in criminal justice policy possible.
"I think state lawmakers really just are much more pragmatic than the lawmakers we're used to seeing on cable news," says TPN member @jenniferdoleac.bsky.social in conversation with Jeff Asher about how research is reforming criminal justice policy.
"And so that just gives me a lot of hope."
26.02.2026 20:28 β
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More info: jenniferdoleac.com/vice-seminar/
02.03.2026 17:10 β
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The next ViCE seminar is this Thursday, March 5, at 1pm ET.
Danielle Nemschoff will present: "Does Distance from Home Matter in Prison? Effects on Visitation and Recidivism"
02.03.2026 17:10 β
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The Criminal Justice team at Arnold Ventures is looking for a pending/recent PhD with strong causal inference skills, for a remote, part-time consulting position.
This is a great opportunity for someone considering a transition from academia to the policy space.
Deadline: March 15
Please share!
03.03.2026 00:17 β
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To Protect, Serve, and Identify β Marc A. Levin & Khalil Cumberbatch
It is possible to curb excessive masking while still protecting law enforcement.
Amid an impasse over the DHS budget, my @counciloncj.org colleague @KhaCumberbatch and I argue in Law & Liberty that masking, while occasionally necessary, shouldn't be routine, and point to police agencies that require advance documentation as to its justification. lawliberty.org/to-protect-s...
02.03.2026 16:26 β
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Check out my @expressnews.com op-ed on the need to end double magistration which is delaying processing of suspects arrested in San Antonio. The practice has contributed to at least one death in the Bexar County Jail while also taking officers of the streets. www.expressnews.com/opinion/comm...
02.03.2026 15:50 β
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βYouβre more likely to be in prison in America if youβre old than if youβre young.β
At CCJβs Member Summit, Stanford University professor Keith Humphreys demonstrated why Americaβs aging prison population, combined with a drop in youth arrests, will lead to lower incarceration rates.
27.02.2026 16:48 β
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How Research Is Reshaping Criminal Justice Policy With Jennifer Doleac
Podcast Episode Β· The Jeff-alytics Podcast Β· February 25 Β· 38m
New podcast out today celebrating @jenniferdoleac.bsky.social's new book The Science of Second Chances. It's a great chat about learning what works & how to bring about research-backed criminal justice policy.
Apple - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
Spotify - open.spotify.com/episode/6WE9...
25.02.2026 13:51 β
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Check out the featured articles at: www.bbc.com/news/article...
apnews.com/article/fact...
www.cbsnews.com/news/fact-ch...
www.factcheck.org/2026/02/fact...
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...
25.02.2026 19:23 β
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Vital City | CompStat, Meet SafeStat
As he works to build a Department of Community Safety, Mayor Mamdani should pioneer a new way to measure not just crime, but broader public safety.
What if cities measured safety not just by crime stats, but by whether people actually feel safe? Gloria Gong urges @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social to move beyond CompStat and test a new βFelt Safety Index.β
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/com...
25.02.2026 16:16 β
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My piece in The Hill with @counciloncj.org colleague Khalil Cumberbatch on a bipartisan plan to replenish the Crime Victims Fund, supporting services like D.V. shelters, counseling for sexual assault survivors & compensation for families affected by violent offenses.
thehill.com/opinion/crim...
25.02.2026 16:41 β
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We must therefore insist on generating a body of rigorous causal research on what works (and what doesn't), figuring out how that overlays on to the existing system, and then conveying that knowledge to policymakers in an effort to align policies with this research. 6/7
25.02.2026 15:39 β
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The stakes in criminal justice policy could not be higher - lives and liberties are at stake. 5/7
25.02.2026 15:39 β
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As someone who did science projects in elementary school where I tested a hypothesis by comparing two groups of laboratory mice where one group received an intervention and one did not, I contrast that to our political dialogue where many just assume their predispositions are reality. 4/
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25.02.2026 15:39 β
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Excited to read about the evidence for approaches that can reduce offending without increasing the size & cost of the criminal justice system. In ruminating on the title, I think about that, as much as I love art, science means we test our hunches about what works (including in what contexts). 3/7
25.02.2026 15:39 β
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To me it conveys that interventions designed to reduce crime can and should be rigorously tested so we maximize return on investment. Good intentions are not enough. 2/7
25.02.2026 15:39 β
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Thrilled to receive my copy of "The Science of Second Chances" by economist @jenniferdoleac.bsky.social of @arnoldventures.bsky.social!
As I begin delving into this timely book, my initial thought is that the title alone is significant. 1/7
25.02.2026 15:39 β
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Vital City | How Prevention Reduced Crime and How To Get More of It
We have to understand what drove 2025 dramatic nationwide declines to build on them.
What drove the nationwide crime decline of 2025? @johnkroman.bsky.social argues that large-scale prevention investments β funded through pandemic recovery dollars β helped drive the drop and that future gains require thinking beyond policing alone.
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/how...
24.02.2026 16:46 β
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Selfie with the book!
The bomb cyclone conspired against me getting to NYC today to celebrate @jenniferdoleac.bsky.socialβs book launch, but the snow didnβt disrupt the on-time delivery of my copy of The Science of Second Chances! So excited and proud of my friend π₯
24.02.2026 22:23 β
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How have gun policies, enforcement strategies, and market dynamics shaped gun violence trends today?
Join CCJβs Centering Justice project with experts Natasha Bagdasarian, Alan Gottlieb, @daniel-webster.bsky.social, and Rob Wilcox on March 10 to learn more: events.zoom.us/ev/AigV8lDJ3...
24.02.2026 18:48 β
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Vital City | Issue
What happened in New York City and nationally, and what may and should happen next?
π§΅ Read Vital Cityβs latest Crime Special Issue: Looking Back at 2025, and Ahead to 2026. What happened in New York City and nationally, and what may and should happen next? www.vitalcitynyc.org/issues/crime...
19.02.2026 20:39 β
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Vital City | The State of Crime in New York City: 2025 and Beyond
What happened in 2025 and what it bodes for 2026
New York City made progress on public safety in 2025. Shootings and murders fell to historic lows. But it is not good news across the board. Our latest annual crime report finds a complex public safety picture in New York City.
Read: www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/cri...
20.02.2026 17:06 β
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The State of Crime in New York City, 2025
What happened in 2025 and what it bodes for 2026
New York City made progress on public safety in 2025. Shootings and murders fell to historic lows, and most major crime categories declined compared to the year prior. These improvements reflect gains in the cityβs most serious forms of violence. Via @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social
21.02.2026 18:27 β
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Vital City | New York Cityβs Crime Puzzle
Gun violence and homicides are way, way down. Overall major crime remains high. Why?
New York Cityβs gun violence and homicides are way down. But overall major crime remains high. Marcos Soler examines why the cityβs crime trends diverge from national declines and what it will take to return to pre-pandemic lows. www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/new...
23.02.2026 17:18 β
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Vital City | Evidence Over Intuition
Jennifer Doleacβs new book delivers some hard truths about criminal justice to both progressives and conservatives.
Greg Berman: "Still, for all its limitations, I would much prefer to live in the world that @jenniferdoleac.bsky.social imagines, where evidence-based policymaking is the norm, rather than the alternative. In general, anecdotes and ideology are good for storytelling but bad for policy."
23.02.2026 18:58 β
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