Crime causes

In recent years, NIJ invested in several research projects to advance understanding and inform prevention of public mass shootings.

Deterrence theory dominates the American understanding of how to regulate criminal behavior but social psychologists' research shows that people comply for reasons that have nothing to do with fear of punishment; they have to do with values, fair procedures and how people connect with one another. Professor Meares discussed the relevance of social psychologists' emerging theory to legal theory and practice and how deterrence and emerging social psychology theories intertwine.

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.