Thomas Abt
@Abt_Thomas
Author, BLEEDING OUT. Founding Director, @VRC_UMD. Associate Research Professor, @UMDCriminology. Senior Fellow, @CouncilonCJ. Opinions, my own.
Reading this, I remembered the last lines from HBO's Chernobyl: washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/…
On the worst thing Trump has done, abolishing USAID: "In 2022 it cost the average American household $6 to prevent 1/2 as many deaths as occurred in the Holocaust... For all our faults, we are not so small a people as to refuse such a financial and moral bargain." How could the…
Defying just one judge would be an unacceptable breach of our Constitution. Trump has defied DOZENS — making a mockery of our independent judiciary and the rule of law. It's a threat to our democracy and every American should be alarmed. washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/…
"Crime almost certainly fell considerably in the United States in the first six months of 2025. The decline in crime that began in 2023 and picked up steam in 2024 has accelerated even faster so far in 2025." jasher.substack.com/p/assessing-cr…
If someone told me there was a list exposing child predators and demanded everyone be allowed to see the list and then they were able to see the list and immediately afterwards reversed course and didn't want anyone to see the list, I would suspect that they were on the list.
Excellent article about a disturbing fact: about half of murderers in the U.S. get away with it. nytimes.com/2025/07/06/us/…
Check out this important @CouncilonCJ report on a critically important crime trend: gun theft.
Stolen guns may have a role in violent crime, but data on gun thefts is limited. A report prepared for CCJ’s Crime Trends Working Group examines the data on reported incidents of gun theft, exploring trends across various jurisdictions, levels of urbanization, & w/in 16 cities.
When it comes to crime reduction, cops + community groups always beats either one on its own. Pass it along. thetrace.org/2025/06/detroi…
When explaining why crime is going up or down, the right answer is always, "It's for a bunch of reasons." It's never just one thing. npr.org/2025/06/30/nx-…
As #NationalGunViolenceAwarenessMonth comes to a close, we need to raise awareness, but we must also deliver results. Through data-driven strategies, VRC-supported cities are outpacing national trends in reducing violence. Change is possible. Our communities are proving it.
Is letting MS-13 mass murderers get off scot-free tough on crime? nytimes.com/2025/06/30/us/…
Read this excellent piece on the hugely important but largely overlooked decline in imprisonment. Kudos @KeithNHumphreys!
“Until 2009, the lengthier sentences handed down during the preceding crime wave and the tendency of released prisoners to be re-incarcerated kept imprisonment rising even as crime declined," @KeithNHumphreys writes. But not anymore: theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
Congrats Rod and Jean!!!
Congrats to Dr. Rod Brunson & Dr. Jean McGloin on being elected 2027 President & Vice President of @ASCRM41! Their leadership will advance equity, mentorship, & impactful research in criminology. go.umd.edu/206v