Criminal justice expert discusses Richmond’s challenges, hope
on March 16, 2010
Dr. Barry Krisberg, a distinguished senior fellow at UC Berkeley Law School’s Center for Criminal Justice, discusses the persistently high homicide rate in Richmond.
Krisberg is the former president of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
Click on the audio track to the right to hear an interview that recently aired on North Gate Radio.
20100315_krisberg.mp3|click here
2 Comments
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It is always very interesting when you have experts commenting on crime reduction strategies even though they do not have actual knowledge as to how those strategies are being used in Richmond. While I do not disagree with Dr. Krisberg’s observations about the relationship between poverty and crime (do you really have to be an expert to figure this one out?), I do think he should have learned more about what we are actually doing in Richmond to address violent crime before weighing in on it.
Gang injunctions have had a mixed track record, depending on how they were researched, put together, and implemented. To dismiss them outright is unfair and does not reflect the experience a number of cities have had with this particular tool. To suggest they are unconstitutional also does not reflect several recent court decisions. Richmond is only in the preliminary stages of implementing gang injunctions. There are no such injunctions in place at this time in our community.
As far as the “Project Ceasefire” model goes, Dr. Krisberg should appreciate the challenges of implementing this approach and recognize that their are a MULTITUDE of factors that can cause the model to succeed or fail. Before he weighs in further about what works or doesn’t work in Richmond, he might want to do a little research about what we are doing. I’d be delighted to talk to him anytime.
Chris Magnus, Chief of Police
Richmond, CA
Chief Magnus,
Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. An earlier Richmond Confidential article on a possible gang injunction can be found here. This article includes your department’s view on a possible gang injunction.
The constitutionality of gang injunctions is an ongoing issue. I’d be happy to provide you with the same Q&A forum if you’d like to elaborate on why you think a gang injunction may be beneficial to Richmond and speak to concerns about how it may affect Richmond residents.
Heather Gilligan