​Alex Piquero, a professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Miami, discusses his career in criminology, including his time as the director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. He talks about the importance of mentors, the role of universities in challenging and provoking ideas, and the need for academics to engage in public intellectualism. Piquero also discusses challenges he faced in government and the risks around evidence-based advocacy. He concludes with excellent advice for new scholars ..read more

Did you see the movie BlacKkKlansman? If so you will love this episode. Host Jerry Ratcliffe chats with his mate Jim Rose, a former narcotics officer and senior advisor to the US State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Rose was also the real-life white cop in BlacKkKlansman. He discusses his experience infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) as a young undercover officer and his subsequent work in Central America. He also talks about the challenges and successes of implementing intelligence-led policing and community-oriented strategies in countries like E ..read more

In this episode of the Reducing Crime podcast, host Jerry Ratcliffe interviews Beatriz Magaloni, a professor of international relations and political science at Stanford University. Magaloni discusses her work on community policing with a specific ‘pacifying police unit’ in Brazil's most dangerous favelas, focusing on the different types of control exerted by criminal organizations in these areas. She explains the challenges faced by police in these environments and the importance of understanding the relationships between criminal groups, the community, and collusion with the state … and the ..read more

In this episode of Reducing Crime, host Jerry Ratcliffe interviews criminologist David Weisburd. They discuss Weisburd's career, his work on hotspots policing and procedural justice, and his advice for young scholars. Weisburd emphasizes the importance of focusing on long-term research questions rather than being swayed by current trends or immediate concerns. He also discusses the misconceptions surrounding hotspots policing, including the assumption that it is solely about heavy-handed policing and the belief that displacement is inevitable. Weisburd highlights the need for more funding and ..read more

In this episode of the Reducing Crime podcast, host Jerry Ratcliffe interviews Martin Bouchard, a professor of criminology at Simon Fraser University, about social network analysis and its application to understanding gangs and organized crime groups. Bouchard explains the concepts of social network analysis, including dyads and brokers, and discusses how police can use this understanding to strategically target and disrupt criminal activity. He also highlights the similarities between gang networks and police corruption networks. Bouchard emphasizes the importance of combining social network ..read more

In this episode of the Reducing Crime Podcast, host Jerry Ratcliffe interviews Detective Superintendent Dave Cowan of Australia's Victoria Police. They discuss Cowan's journey into evidence-based policing (EBP) and the experiments he has conducted, including a focused deterrence trial and a trial using behavioral science to reduce failure to appear at court. They also discuss the importance of rigorous testing and evaluation in policing strategies, the need for better communication and application of research in policing, and the challenges and progress in implementing EBP within police organi ..read more

Seth Williams was a groundbreaking Philadelphia District Attorney and the first Black District Attorney in the State of Pennsylvania. He attended West Point, transferred to, and graduated from Penn State University, and Georgetown Law School, was a major in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the US Army, and in November 2009 with more than 75% of the vote, was elected District Attorney in Philadelphia. He was on track for a third term, when in 2017 he was convicted in federal court on a charge related to the receipt of undisclosed gifts. We talk about his incarceration, and the role of the ..read more

Ron Clarke is a criminological legend, the originator of the situational approach to preventing crime, and he co-developed the rational choice perspective with Derek Cornish. He led the UK Home Office Research and Planning Unit before going on to spend a long and storied academic career at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Ron is the founding editor of Crime Prevention Studies and authored or co-authored more than 300 books, monographs and papers. A critic of mainstream criminology, he nonetheless was awarded the prestigious Stockholm Prize in Criminology in 2015 ..read more

Ron Clarke is a criminological legend, the originator of the situational approach to preventing crime, and he co-developed the rational choice perspective with Derek Cornish. He led the UK Home Office Research and Planning Unit before going on to spend a long and storied academic career at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Ron is the founding editor of Crime Prevention Studies and authored or co-authored more than 300 books, monographs and papers. A critic of mainstream criminology, he nonetheless was awarded the prestigious Stockholm Prize in Criminology in 2015 ..read more

Terry Cherry is a recruiting officer with the Charleston, South Carolina police department, NIJ LEADS scholar, and has been recognized as an IACP 40 under 40 up-and-coming leader in policing. In her 11 years with the Charleston department she has also worked patrol, investigations, and started a problem-solving unit. Working with academic colleagues she has taken a more evidence-based approach to her recruitment work and we discuss solutions to the current crisis facing police recruitment and retention ..read more