Publication Type: Policy Briefs
Policy Shifts in Pretrial Detention: Lessons from the 2019 Harris County, Texas Misdemeanor Bail Policies
Changing the Route: Seeking Compassionate Alternatives to Police Transport in Involuntary Civil Commitment
For too many people experiencing acute mental illness, cries for help bring police and handcuffs rather than compassionate medical intervention. But this doesn’t have to be the case. This report examines the laws across the U.S. related to law enforcement custody and transportation under involuntary civil commitment, when alternative transport is permitted, and opportunities to […]
Wrongful Convictions in North Carolina: Lessons Learned and Recommendations for Continued Reform
Jurisdictions that Record Police Interrogations
Most jurisdictions in the United States now record interrogations, including all federal law enforcement agencies, thirty states, and the District of Columbia. This memo provides updated information as of August 2024 about the state-level adoption of electronic recording requirements, through statutes, court rulings and rules, and police policies. By Brandon Garrett. Read the brief
Dementia and the Aging Prison Population: Best Practices for Care and Release
Dementia and the Aging Prison Population: Best Practices for Care and Release The number of incarcerated seniors has tripled in the last 20 years, and that number is only expected to grow. By 2030, U.S. prisons will incarcerate 400,000 seniors – 1/3 of the total prison population. Estimates vary but more than half of incarcerated seniors may develop dementia […]
Evaluation of Durham’s ShotSpotter Installation: Results of a 12-month Pilot Project
The ShotSpotter pilot was deployed from December 15, 2022 – December 14, 2023 in a three-square-mile area of Durham that have historically had comparatively high rates of gun violence. This examines the performance of ShotSpotter in the pilot area and is authored by Philip Cook, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy and Economics, Duke University, and Adam […]
ShotSpotter in Durham, NC: A Community Sentiment Evaluation
In July 2023, the Wilson Center conducted nine focus groups and two individual interviews, with a total of 30 participants who live in the ShotSpotter pilot area in Durham, North Carolina. Participants were asked to discuss their perceptions of safety, gun violence, policing in their neighborhoods, ShotSpotter technology, and changes in policing or violence since […]
Police Officers’ (In)ability to Detect Concealed Objects
This white paper describes recent research by Dawn Sweet, Adele Quigley McBride, and Chris Meissner that found that trained police officers and lay persons were equally bad at determining whether people were concealing dangerous or illegal objects. Indeed, there is no evidence that anyone can determine whether someone is concealing simply by observing people from […]
When the Dollars Don’t Add Up to Sense
This policy brief discusses how and why North Carolina must rethink its approach to criminal fines and fees. By Lindsay Bass-Patel and Angie Weis Gammell. By Lindsay Bass-Patel and Angie Weis Gammell. Read the brief