Jennifer Doleac

Texas A&M University Website

Jennifer Doleac is Associate Professor of Economics at Texas A&M University, Director of the Justice Tech Lab, and host of the Probable Causation podcast. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University. Professor Doleac is the Co-Director of the Criminal Justice Expert Panel.

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 7
Median Survey Vote Median Survey Confidence
Agree 7
Comments

There is more evidence on this than other popular strategies. But targeted police interventions always come with a risk of social costs (particularly if that enforcement is perceived as harassment by individuals/communities).

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
Disagree 5
Median Survey Vote Median Survey Confidence
Agree 6
Comments

The evidence on focused deterrence strategies is pretty weak, though it sounds good in theory ("carrots & sticks " = exactly the strategy an economist might design). Targeted surveillance by police can be harmful if done poorly, so we need to be sure that benefits outweigh any social costs. The only rigorous study on this strategy is an RCT by Pat Sharkey - found no effect on arrests.

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

The evidence on this strategy (Cure Violence and similar interventions) is extremely weak. We basically have no idea if it works. But even the correlational studies aren't consistently finding beneficial effects, which should give us pause. Communities that want to implement this strategy should do so in a way that enables them to tell if the investment is worth it.