We need better policy.
Research is one way we will get there.

Our Mission

Based in the Department of Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania, we partner with governments and non-profits to find research-based solutions to preventing crime, advancing the justice system, and other complex social problems. Our focus is on the needs and priorities of the partners and communities we work with—we believe good policy has to be responsive to and supported from the neighborhood level.

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Our Work

Partner-driven exploration of existing data to understand the nature of problems and inform new policy innovations.

Long-term partnerships with governments or non-profits to learn about, improve, and document the success of particular innovative practices.


We structure our partnerships to build mutual success, and see our work as more than single engagements where we investigate a question and move on. Taking this broader view has meant many of our partners have worked with us repeatedly for as much as twenty years.