The historic decline in homicide ratehas become one of the most important public safety developments in decades. Yet even as the drop continues, the factors behind it remain unclear, leaving researchers, policymakers, and practitioners asking what changed, why it happened so quickly, and what can be done to sustain the progress.

To examine those critical questions, the Council on Criminal Justice in September convened four dozen leading crime scholars to assess nearly 50 potential explanations ranging from changes in policing strategies and technologies to broad shifts in society and culture. Drawing on existing research, recent trends, and their own expertise, participants rated each as likely major, limited, or negligible/non-contributors.

Join CCJ for a summary of the key takeaways and a conversation with four of the participants about the explanations they found most plausible, what shaped those judgments, and what the findings suggest for sustaining progress.