Anthony Braga

Anthony Allan Braga (born 1969) is an American criminologist and the Jerry Lee Professor of Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania.[1] Braga is also the Director of the Crime and Justice Policy Lab at the University of Pennsylvania.[2] He previously held faculty and senior research positions at Harvard University, Northeastern University, Rutgers University, and the University of California at Berkeley.[3] Braga is a member of the federal monitor team overseeing the reforms to New York City Police Department (NYPD) policies, training, supervision, auditing, and handling of complaints and discipline regarding stops and frisks and trespass enforcement.[4]

Anthony Braga
Born1969 (age 54–55)
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Massachusetts
(B.A., 1991)
Rutgers University
(M.A., 1993; Ph.D., 1997)
Harvard University
(M.P.A., 2002)
AwardsAmerican Society of Criminology's Vollmer Award (2021)
Criminology Fellow (2016) International Association of Chiefs of Police's Research Excellence (2011)
Department of Justice's Community Partnerships (2009)
Scientific career
FieldsCriminology
InstitutionsNortheastern University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Rutgers University, University of Pennsylvania
ThesisSolving violent crime problems: an evaluation of the Jersey City Police Department's pilot program to control violent places (1997)

Research[edit]

Braga’s research focuses on enhancing fairness and effectiveness in policing. With colleagues, he has completed randomized controlled trials testing the impacts of deploying body worn cameras on police officers in Boston,[5] Las Vegas,[6] and New York City.[7] These studies generally suggest that the placement of body cameras improve the civility of police-citizen encounters. He has also conducted randomized experiments showing that procedurally-just police encounters can improve civilian perceptions of police legitimacy.[8] Finally, he has completed descriptive research studies examining extralegal factors associated with racial disparities in police contacts with civilians.[9]

His research has examined the stability and concentration of crime at small hot spot locations in cities.  For instance, he led a study showing that 74 percent of shootings were persistently concentrated in just 5 percent of street blocks over a twenty-nine-year period in Boston.[10] Braga has conducted a systematic review of hot spots policing experiments and quasi-experiments that shows concentrating police resource in crime hot spots can reduce crime without displacing crime to nearby locations.[11] He also led a randomized controlled trial that found police efforts to modify the characteristics of crime places (greening vacant lots, securing abandoned buildings, improving lighting, and other situational remedies) generated stronger crime control gains relative to increased misdemeanor arrests.[12]

Braga has been influential in the development of focused deterrence strategies to control serious violence. These strategies attempt to reduce serious crime and violence by changing offender behavior through a blended set of law enforcement, community mobilization, and social service actions.[13] He was part of the Boston Gun Project working group that developed the well-known Operation Ceasefire strategy in the 1990s[14] and worked with the Boston Police Department to implement a reinvigorated Ceasefire program in the mid-2000s.[15] Braga completed a systematic review of controlled evaluations that suggest focused deterrence programs reduce crime, but the review noted the rigor of focused deterrence evaluations needs to be improved.[16] Braga has also conducted studies on illegal gun trafficking in Boston,[17] Chicago,[18] and New York City.[19] These studies generally show that high-risk people, such as gang members and drug sellers, acquire guns through illegal diversions from legal firearms commerce.

Honors and awards[edit]

Anthony Braga is a Fellow of the American Society of Criminology[20] and the 2021 recipient of its August Vollmer Award[21] recognizing outstanding contributions to the field of criminal justice.  He is also a past President and Fellow of the Academy of Experimental Criminology[22] and the 2014 recipient its Joan McCord Award[23] recognizing his contributions to the advancement of experimental criminology.  Beyond academic recognition, he has also received multiple awards from practitioner organizations such as the 2011 International Association of Chiefs of Police Excellence in Law Enforcement Research Award, 2010 U.S. Department of Justice Project Safe Neighborhood Award for Outstanding Service by a Research Partner, and the 2009 U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to Community Partnerships and Public Safety.[24]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "People | Department of Criminology". crim.sas.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  2. ^ "Home". Crime and Justice Policy Lab. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  3. ^ "Anthony Braga CV" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-01-03.
  4. ^ "Overview". NYPD Monitor. 2015-06-17. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  5. ^ Braga, Anthony A.; Barao, Lisa M.; Zimmerman, Gregory M.; Douglas, Stephen; Sheppard, Keller (2020-12-01). "Measuring the Direct and Spillover Effects of Body Worn Cameras on the Civility of Police–Citizen Encounters and Police Work Activities". Journal of Quantitative Criminology. 36 (4): 851–876. doi:10.1007/s10940-019-09434-9. ISSN 1573-7799. S2CID 210367827.
  6. ^ Denise Rodriguez; James R. Coldren, Jr.; William H. Sousa; Anthony A. Braga (2018-01-01). "The Effects of Body-Worn Cameras on Police Activity and Police-Citizen Encounters: A Randomized Controlled Trial". Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. 108 (3): 511.
  7. ^ Braga, Anthony A.; MacDonald, John M.; McCabe, James (2021). "Body-worn cameras, lawful police stops, and NYPD officer compliance: A cluster randomized controlled trial*". Criminology. 60: 124–158. doi:10.1111/1745-9125.12293. ISSN 1745-9125. S2CID 244138447.
  8. ^ Sahin, Nusret; Braga, Anthony A.; Apel, Robert; Brunson, Rod K. (2017-12-01). "The Impact of Procedurally-Just Policing on Citizen Perceptions of Police During Traffic Stops: The Adana Randomized Controlled Trial". Journal of Quantitative Criminology. 33 (4): 701–726. doi:10.1007/s10940-016-9308-7. ISSN 1573-7799. S2CID 148507409.
  9. ^ Fagan, Jeffrey; Braga, Anthony; Brunson, Rod; Pattavina, April (2016-01-01). "Stops and Stares: Street Stops, Surveillance, and Race in the New Policing". Fordham Urban Law Journal. 43 (3): 539.
  10. ^ Braga, Anthony A.; Papachristos, Andrew V.; Hureau, David M. (2010-03-01). "The Concentration and Stability of Gun Violence at Micro Places in Boston, 1980–2008". Journal of Quantitative Criminology. 26 (1): 33–53. doi:10.1007/s10940-009-9082-x. ISSN 1573-7799. S2CID 144197153.
  11. ^ "Better evidence for a better world". Campbell Collaboration. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  12. ^ Braga, Anthony A.; Bond, Brenda J. (2008). "Policing Crime and Disorder Hot Spots: A Randomized Controlled Trial*". Criminology. 46 (3): 577–607. doi:10.1111/j.1745-9125.2008.00124.x. ISSN 1745-9125.
  13. ^ Braga, Anthony A.; Kennedy, David M. (2021). "A Framework for Addressing Violence and Serious Crime: Focused Deterrence, Legitimacy, and Prevention". Elements in Criminology. doi:10.1017/9781108938143. ISBN 9781108938143. S2CID 233695216.
  14. ^ BRAGA, ANTHONY A.; KENNEDY, DAVID M.; WARING, ELIN J.; PIEHL, ANNE MORRISON (2001-08-01). "Problem-Oriented Policing, Deterrence, and Youth Violence: An Evaluation of Boston's Operation Ceasefire". Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. 38 (3): 195–225. doi:10.1177/0022427801038003001. ISSN 0022-4278. S2CID 1218757.
  15. ^ Braga, Anthony A.; Hureau, David M.; Papachristos, Andrew V. (2014-03-01). "Deterring Gang-Involved Gun Violence: Measuring the Impact of Boston's Operation Ceasefire on Street Gang Behavior". Journal of Quantitative Criminology. 30 (1): 113–139. doi:10.1007/s10940-013-9198-x. ISSN 1573-7799. S2CID 143579620.
  16. ^ "Better evidence for a better world". Campbell Collaboration. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  17. ^ Hureau, David M.; Braga, Anthony A. (2018). "The Trade in Tools: The Market for Illicit Guns in High-Risk Networks". Criminology. 56 (3): 510–545. doi:10.1111/1745-9125.12187. ISSN 1745-9125. S2CID 150152701.
  18. ^ Cook, Philip J.; Ludwig, Jens; Venkatesh, Sudhir; Braga, Anthony A. (2007). "Underground Gun Markets*". The Economic Journal. 117 (524): F588–F618. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0297.2007.02098.x. ISSN 1468-0297. S2CID 44465708.
  19. ^ Braga, Anthony A.; Brunson, Rod K.; Cook, Philip J.; Turchan, Brandon; Wade, Brian (2021). "Underground Gun Markets and the Flow of Illegal Guns into the Bronx and Brooklyn: A Mixed Methods Analysis". Journal of Urban Health. 98 (5): 596–608. doi:10.1007/s11524-020-00477-z. ISSN 1099-3460. PMC 8566688. PMID 32888157.
  20. ^ "ASC Fellows". The American Society of Criminology. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  21. ^ "August Vollmer Award Recipients". The American Society of Criminology. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  22. ^ "What's AEC". DECAEC. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  23. ^ "DEC and AEC Past Awards". DECAEC. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  24. ^ "ANTHONY A. BRAGA CV" (PDF). July 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-01-03.

External links[edit]

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