New York addresses gun violence with a combination of gun control measures, community-based interventions, and enforcement coordination. Efforts focus on conflict mediation, job training, outreach to high-risk individuals, and intelligence-sharing networks that provide analytical support to aid investigations and public safety. This comprehensive approach reflects New York’s commitment to protecting communities.
Despite various shortcomings, the research team found important indicators that suggest positive benefits of the State initiatives to prevent crime and violence. When researchers analyzed violent and property index crimes (i.e., aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, and larceny), the change in crime occurrences sometimes varied by the amount of funding received. Using 2010 as the base year and tracking crime rates through 2023, researchers found that total index crimes dropped 14 percent in counties receiving funding, but index crimes grew 13 percent in counties that received no funding for the three main initiatives.
To enhance our impact on crime prevention, researchers should improve three things: 1) the questions we ask, 2) the data we use to answer them, and 3) the way we share our answers with communities.
Violent index crimes (murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) generally declined statewide between 2010 and 2020 before surging with the onset of the social and economic disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The surge was limited to New York City and its suburbs.
“Minors contribute to the overall crime problem, but not in a way that would justify the overwhelming punitive policy response,” said Jeffrey Butts, research professor and director of the Research and Evaluation Center at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “Is it misleading to concentrate our attention on one subset of the population?”
Violent arrests among New Yorkers under age 18 surged after 2020, most likely for the same reasons as adults.
