Testing strategies for preventing violence and crime

Tuesday, January 31, 2017 - 17:33 in Psychology & Sociology

J-PAL North America, a research center at MIT, has announced that it has awarded grants to fund randomized evaluations focused on employing behavioral science insights to prevent crime and violence. The grants were awarded to Anuj Shah and Aurélie Ouss from the University of Chicago and Jennifer Doleac and Benjamin Castleman at the University of Virginia. “Behavioral science is generating intriguing insights into interventions that can nudge people to make better decisions,” said Quentin Palfrey, J-PAL North America’s executive director. “As policymakers grapple with surging prison populations and high rates of recidivism, rigorous research is needed to evaluate what works to prevent violence and improve our criminal justice system.” The announced grants, which are made possible by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, are designed to advance our understanding of how the principles of behavioral science can be used to improve public policy in the area of criminal justice. Shah and Ouss will evaluate...

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