Public Policy Center launches Crime and Justice Policy Research Program

The University of Iowa Public Policy Center launched a new program – Crime and Justice Policy Research – July 1.

The new program focuses on scientific research on the causes and consequences of crime, interpersonal violence and antisocial behavior. The program also looks at the implementation and implications of public policies designed to prevent and control criminal offending, whether at the individual or aggregate levels. This research is also concerned with the health implications of acute stressors such as violence and trauma.

Mark Berg, associate professor in the Department of Sociology in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is director of the program. In addition to his research, Berg teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on communities, criminology and interpersonal violence.

“Public safety is among the leading priorities of government legislative bodies. Not surprisingly, issues of crime and criminal justice usually loom large in policy discussions,” Berg said. “Crime control programs take on various forms—some are preventive and rehabilitative, whereas others are punitive. A large percentage of state and federal tax dollars are spent on preventing antisocial behaviors and punishing lawbreakers. Recent upticks in homicide in large cities, the perceived overreliance on formal sanctions, and strained police-citizen relations in minority communities have again illuminated the challenge of crime and its control.”

More information on the program, including current research, is available at www.ppc.uiowa.edu/crime-justice.