Greg Midgette

University of Maryland Website

Greg Midgette is Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland. He holds a Ph.D. in Policy Analysis from the Pardee RAND Graduate School.

Voting History

Reducing gun violence

Taking into account both potential implementation challenges and expected efficacy, investing in police-led targeted enforcement directed at places and persons at high risk for gun crime (e.g.,\"hot spot\" policing; gang enforcement) would reduce gun violence.

Vote Confidence
Agree 8
Median Survey Vote Median Survey Confidence
Agree 7
Comments

Hot spots policing can reduce violent crime, and studies of potential displacement to neighboring areas are promising. Heavier targeted enforcement without accompanying community outreach might generate intangible costs to the community that may impede investigations, and some tactics are more effective against violence than others.

Taking into account both potential implementation challenges and expected efficacy, investing in police-led focused deterrence programs (clearly communicating “carrots and sticks” to local residents identified as high risk, followed by targeted surveillance and enforcement with some community-based support for those who desist from crime) would reduce gun violence.

Vote Confidence
Agree 6
Median Survey Vote Median Survey Confidence
Agree 6
Comments

A fairly comprehensive and recent review by Braga and colleagues (2018) found the programs to be effective on average. That said, relationships between some police departments and communities are so fraught that the coordination these programs require might be a major challenge to implementation and effectiveness.

Taking into account both potential implementation challenges and expected efficacy, investing in purely community-led violence-interruption programs (community-based outreach workers try to mediate and prevent conflict, without police involvement) would reduce gun violence.

Vote Confidence
Neutral/No Opinion 9
Median Survey Vote Median Survey Confidence
Neutral/No Opinion 5
Comments

The evidence I'm aware of is mixed but promising. It seems that the impact of these programs can depend a lot on the bundle of actions and groups comprising implementation and the setting in which they're run. Some versions may work better than others, and the evidence is sparse on what's preferable.