Jerry H. Ratcliffe

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · 17h

This week is the ASC conference, so here’s mentions of “abolish” in recent programs:
2021 1 program, 5 submissions
2022 1 submission
2023 4 programs, 5 subs
2024 5 programs, 3 subs
2025 2 programs (not incl. one about abolishing nuclear weapons)

Is this idea's rampant stupidity finally receding?

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · 3d

The American Society of Criminology conference is next week and this is your annual reminder that most of the presentations will likely be 💩
Here are some ways to be less 💩

www.jerryratcliffe.net/post/i-want-...

I want a refund for your conference presentation

There is a problem with academic criminal justice and criminology, and it’s getting worse.I’ve attended several conferences and meetings in the last three months. And the standard of presentation is d...

www.jerryratcliffe.net

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · 4d

Yeah, he's a super smart guy.

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · 5d

Thanks for the shoutout. Here at UPenn we are proud of the program, with world-ranked, practical, non-partisan faculty.

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · 6d

If you aren't following the work of @benbradford.bsky.social then you are missing out on thoughtful insights into policing and public safety.
Apple: apple.co/4opeJDD
Spotify: bit.ly/3WBBJ6f

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Oct 11

An interesting thought experiment here, and ... if you follow the logic of the thread, raises broader and potentially significant questions about the validity of 'lived experience' as a viable criminological research tool.

Gavin Hales @gmhales.bsky.social · Oct 11

I've been wondering recently how many racist police officers were racist when they joined, and whether part of the issue is logical fallacies arising from having a lot of contact with very narrow sections of society in places with which they may not otherwise be familiar.

Gavin Hales @gmhales.bsky.social · Oct 11

I've been wondering recently how many racist police officers were racist when they joined, and whether part of the issue is logical fallacies arising from having a lot of contact with very narrow sections of society in places with which they may not otherwise be familiar.

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Oct 7

No, but we can examine other questions alongside the political circumstances. It's not like those other questions are not (rightly) being asked... just about everywhere.

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Oct 7

Featuring a little of my chat with @martinkaste.bsky.social on the crime reduction implications of the deployment of National Guard in Washington DC.
www.npr.org/2025/10/02/n...

National Guard presence may deter crime, but experts warn of the long-term costs

As President Trump ramps up efforts to send federal officers and troops into cities, criminologists are watching closely. Are the feds doing this in a smart way?

www.npr.org

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Oct 3

I agree with the tenor and points of ALL of the interviewees in the article, and reiterated many of the arguments and concerns mentioned by others. But there’s no point in the reporter using the same quote from everyone. I’m sure they are all equally aware of the UK research and it is relevant.

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Sep 14

Commentary box? You moving upward in that field?

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Sep 14

To contextualize this week’s political commentary, of the 2,647 identified extremist violent offenders in the US since 2000, far-right extremists were more than 7 times more represented in the data than far-left extremists.

* No, this isn’t to negate the abhorrent shooting this week.

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Sep 5

Things get nicked because they are one or more of... CRAVED:
Concealable
Removable
Available
Valuable
Enjoyable
Disposable

(if I remember correctly)

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Sep 2

A must-read op-ed by Keith Humphreys in the NY Times, covers both how harm reduction advocates abandoned communities (hello Kensington in Philadelphia) and why mandating drug treatment will help many.

His @reducingcrime.com podcast ep is a must: apple.co/4ne9Jko

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/o...

Opinion | Forcing People Into Drug Treatment Can Save Their Lives

www.nytimes.com

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Sep 2

In the new episode of the @reducingcrime.com podcast, @mattbland.bsky.social - former analyst and now evidence-based policing guru - explains the value he got from socializing with police officers.
Apple: apple.co/4g269aC
Spotify: bit.ly/4oXiQYc

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Aug 30

Just asked Google how President Trump activated the National Guard.
The response was... not optimal.

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Aug 28

Fun chat covering Matt's experiences as an analyst in the National Intelligence Model and where #evidence-based_policing is right now.
Tons of great advice for crime analysts working with police departments.

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Aug 28

Absolutely... they all have long term relationships: David Weisburd, Geoff Alpert, Larry Sherman, Anthony Braga, Wes Skogan, Cynthia Lum, and many more. And they are all practical about the work they do. Helping the departments work on their needs, not just research interests.

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Aug 24

New Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent training to go from 18 weeks to 8 weeks, and dropping the degree requirement?
If the plan is to make the FBI a laughing stock, this is the way to do it.

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/21/u...

F.B.I. Plans to Lower Recruiting Standards, Alarming Agents

www.nytimes.com

Matt Ashby @mattashby.com · Aug 18

When working out if people from different ethnic groups are stopped by police disproportionately, it really matters what population you compare the number of stops to. This paper by @jerryratcliffe.net compares several good and bad options:

Police stops and naïve denominators

A comparison of the racial composition of police stops to the entire population of a city or jurisdiction is frequently cited as evidence of racial bias in proactive policework. This article argues that...

doi.org

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Aug 9

When I run training this side of the pond, people are fine with that time. It’s so weird.

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Aug 5

With fiscal austerity affecting many police departments, the costs of analytical software can be seen as prohibitive. Here, @mattashby.com is doing a considerable service to the crime analysis community with this new #Rstat package.

Matt Ashby @mattashby.com · Aug 5

Announcing sfhotspot, an #RStats package to make it as easy as possible to identify and map concentrations of crime (or concentrations of any other points in space).

Introduction: lesscrime.info/post/sfhotsp...
Package website: pkgs.lesscrime.info/sfhotspot/

🧵

A blue hexagon on a white background. Inside the hexagon is a grid of much smaller hexagons. Most of these are dark blue, but some of the small hexagons are lighter blue and spell out the letters SF. On top of the grid is the text sfhotspot.

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Aug 5

Fantastic Matt! Even has a very cool logo!

Matt Ashby @mattashby.com · Aug 5

Announcing sfhotspot, an #RStats package to make it as easy as possible to identify and map concentrations of crime (or concentrations of any other points in space).

Introduction: lesscrime.info/post/sfhotsp...
Package website: pkgs.lesscrime.info/sfhotspot/

🧵

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Aug 1

Is there a list of speakers anywhere Jim?

Reducing Crime @reducingcrime.com · Jul 30

If you are over on IG I’ve started a new series of short crime and policing- related reels like this one on procedurally-just speeding tickets reducing speeding.

www.instagram.com/reel/DLzfdoI...

Login • Instagram

Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

www.instagram.com

Jerry Ratcliffe @jerryratcliffe.net · Jul 28

If you have civilian staff in your police department, you will want to forward this podcast episode to them. Packed with tips on how to survive as a senior civilian leader in policing, from one of the best.