Multimedios

According to panelists and evidence presented at a two-day workshop organized by USAID and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) in Mexico City, an effective strategy to prevent crime and violence is slowing down the decision-making process of youth in high-stake situations.  Evidence suggests that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can reduce violent and criminal behavior, therefore, programs that draw on CBT can help at-risk men and youth reduce self-destructive behaviors.

Conventional crime-prevention programs tend to be expensive, onerous, and ineffective. Could something as simple (and cheap) as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) do the trick? That’s the question we try to answer in this episode. It’s set in Chicago, where violent crime continues to thrive (its homicide rate is more than triple New York’s). Chicago is also home to the Crime Lab at the University of Chicago, a network of researchers who try to find empirical solutions to crime and violence.