Donate
PPIC Logo Independent, objective, nonpartisan research

Search Results

Filters Sort by:
blog post

Video: Are Younger Generations Committing Less Crime?

By Vicki Hsieh

PPIC’s policy director for criminal justice Magnus Lofstrom presents findings from a new report examining whether younger generations of Californians are less criminally active than earlier generations and discusses the broader implications of these trends.

event

Are Younger Generations Committing Less Crime?

Historically, crime rates peak for those in their late teens and early 20s, but recent trends raise questions about whether this pattern is shifting. PPIC researcher Magnus Lofstrom will outline findings from a new report examining whether more recent generations in California are less criminally active than previous generations—or if drops in crime have occurred across all age groups. He will also discuss the broader implications of these trends for the criminal justice system.

Report

Are Younger Generations Committing Less Crime?

By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin, Deepak Premkumar

Among Californians born in 1993 and later, criminal offending has fallen 20 to 25 percent compared to previous generations. This shift in longstanding trends is a driving factor behind the overall decline in crime over the last decades and has several broader implications for the criminal justice system.

blog post

Gun Incidents Drive a Climb in Violent Crime Rates

By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin

Violent crime in California has been ticking up since 2019. And while the overall share of violent crimes involving guns dipped in 2022, it remains above pre-pandemic levels.

blog post

Retail Theft and Robbery Rates Have Risen across California

By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin

California has seen an overall increase in retail theft and robbery rates in recent years. Our analysis finds especially notable increases in the Bay Area and the Central Valley, with certain commercial crimes also increasing substantially in parts of southern California.

Report

Pandemic Policymaking and Changed Outcomes in Criminal Courts

By Heather Harris

California’s criminal courts quickly adopted policies to address COVID-19. But uneven adoption around the state affected who might face those policies—as well as whether people were convicted and the sentences handed out. In particular, remote hearings contributed to racial differences in outcomes, which may influence whether such hearings continue.

Policy Brief

Policy Brief: Pandemic Policymaking and Changed Outcomes in Criminal Courts

By Heather Harris, Stephanie Barton

Remote hearings are the major policy to endure from pandemic interventions introduced by California criminal courts. When remote hearings were in place, misdemeanor convictions fell—and courts tended to hand out probation or fines for these crimes, especially among white, Latino, and Black defendants.

Explainer

Is College Worth It?

By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Cesar Alesi Perez, Vicki Hsieh, Hans Johnson

Rising college costs and a reluctance to take on debt lead many students and families to wonder if college will actually yield a brighter future with higher earnings and better jobs. In this explainer, we explore whether the benefits of a college degree outweigh the costs.

Search results are limited to 100 items. Please use the Refine Results tool if you are not finding what you are looking for.