Focus area
Examining crime, public safety, and the institutions that shape community outcomes.
Our research connects crime statistics with neighborhood conditions, public policy, and institutional performance. We examine patterns, test explanations, and distinguish what the evidence shows from what remains uncertain.
Questions guiding our research
How do crime trends vary across places, populations, and reporting methods?
How do policing, courts, and corrections influence public safety and accountability?
What conditions and interventions are associated with safer communities?
Research Paper Crime Watch
Abstract Citywide homicide totals describe the scale of lethal violence but do not show how it is distributed across communities. This paper examines Chicago homicide victimizations from 2015 through 2025 and compares…
Analysis Crime Watch
Chicago’s homicide count has declined substantially since 2021. But a citywide total cannot tell us whether that improvement is shared across communities. RSE’s analysis of Chicago Police Department victim records identifies 806…
