Research for the Real World: NIJ Seminar Series

David Weisburd, recipient of the 2010 Stockholm Prize in Criminology, explains research showing that intensified police patrols in high-crime hot spots can substantially decrease crime without causing it to rise in other areas. He explains the effectiveness of policing that concentrates prevention efforts at less than 5 percent of all street corners and addresses where more than 50 percent of urban crime occurs. The evidence suggests that crimes depend not just on criminals, but also on policing in key places.

T.K. Logan discusses her study that looked at the impact of civil protective orders for domestic violence victims in five Kentucky jurisdictions. Civil protective orders, sometimes known as restraining orders, may cover various situations, such as ordering an assailant to avoid a victim's home and workplace or forbidding any contact with the victim, including by mail or telephone.

Experts discuss cases of domestic violence that escalate to homicide followed by suicide. Although the economy and unemployment are risk factors, prior domestic violence is by far the number one risk factor. The men usually display possessive, obsessive and jealous behavior, and they typically use guns to threaten and terrorize before they use them to kill.