Media & Other Writing

Policy Reports and Briefs

CURA Reporter (Nov 2020) -- Over-Policed and  Under-Protected: Public Safety in North Minneapolis

Scholars Strategy Network Policy Brief (May 2020) -- Improve Health for Adults on Community Supervision 

Scholars Strategy Network Policy Brief (Sept. 2018) -- Why Ending Mass Probation is Crucial to U.S. Criminal Justice Reform

Op-Eds and Blog Posts

Scatterplot (June 2020) -- One Year Later, Policing, Violence, and Public Safety in Minneapolis

MinnPost (June 2020) -- Dismantling the Police, Reimagining Public Safety

Scatterplot (June 2020) -- Dismantling the Minneapolis Police Department

Robina Institute (April 2020) -- Community Supervision and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Why We Need to Build a More Integrated Health System

Scatterplot (Nov 2019) -- Legal Estrangement and Police Reform in Minneapolis

Scatterplot (March 2019) -- Remembering Devah Pager: The Mark of a Mentor

P&S Blog (Feb. 2019) -- Are you a criminologist or a sociologist? Michelle Phelps Responds

The Conversation (Jan. 2019) -- Congress’ First Step Act Reflects a New Criminal Justice Consensus, but Will It Reduce Mass Incarceration? 

The Crime Report (Jan. 2018) -- The Lessons of Meek Mill: A Probation System ‘Set Up to Fail’

Race, Politics, Justice (August 2017) -- The Struggle for Criminal Justice Reform

In Justice Today (July 2017) -- To Fix the Justice System, Shrink and Reform Community Supervision

American Probation and Parole Association's Perspectives (June 2017) -- American Exceptionalism in Community Supervision (with Alessandro Corda)

Punishment and Society Blog (May 2017) -- Can Criminology Be Neutral?

OUP Blog (May 2017) -- On Criminal Justice Reform, Keep Fighting

Gender Policy Report (March 2017) -- Rehabilitation in Prison? Educational Programs for Women Prisoners in 2014

The Society Pages (Feb. 2017) -- The Return of Rehabilitation? Educational Programs for Prisoners Remain Inadequate

Robina Institute (July 2016) -- Mass Probation Across the United States

Scatterplot (July 2016) -- Yes, There is Racial Bias in Police Shootings

LSE US Centre (Feb. 2016) -- Falling Violent Crime and Budget Deficits Set the Stage for Shrinking Prison Populations

Offender Supervision in Europe (March 2013) -- The Paradox of Probation: Understanding Probation Expansion during the Prison Boom

SocImages (June 2011) -- The Dangerous Trade-Off between Education and Imprisonment

Media and Policy Reports' Coverage of Research

Star Tribune (January 2024) -- In Minneapolis, Police Staffing Levels Continued to Drop in 2023. So Did Crime

The Toronto Star (Feb 2023) -- After George Floyd

Star Tribune (May 2021) -- A Year After George Floyd’s Death, Seeking a New Direction for Policing (reprinted in PBS/Frontline)

WaPo (Nikki Jones) (April 2021) -- The Chauvin Trial Addressed Extreme Violence. But Most Police Abuse is Routine

The Appeal (Vincent Schiraldi) (March 2021) -- Explainer: How ‘Technical Violations’ Drive Incarceration

Minnesota Reformer (Dec. 2020) -- Black America is Over-Policed and Under-Protected

ACLU and HRW (July 2020) -- Revoked: How Probation and Parole Feed Mass Incarceration in the United States

Criminal Justice Policy Program, Harvard Law School (June 2020) -- Paying on Probation 

Pew, Public Safety Performance Project (Sept. 2018) -- Probation and Parole Systems Marked by High Stakes, Missed Opportunities

Columbia University Justice Lab (Jan. 2018) -- Too Big to Succeed: The Impact of the Growth of Community Corrections and What Should be Done About It

PBS (Jan 2018) -- Felony Conviction Rates are Up Nationwide

Crime Report (July 2017) -- Want to Shrink Our Prisons? Fix Probation and Parole

Star Tribune (April 2017) -- Yes, Minnesota Has a Low Prison Population, But That's Not the Whole Story

Robina Institute (March 2016) -- Data Brief: American Exceptionalism in Probation Supervision

The Economist (Sept. 2016) -- Think Before You Clink: Why a Rise in Community Punishment is Not Cutting Prison Rates

Prison Policy Initiative (June 2016) -- Correctional Control: Incarceration and Supervision by State

Robina Institute (Nov. 2013) -- Robina Funds Phelps’ Study of “Mass Probation” in the United States

Radio & Podcast Interviews

Minnesota Now (Sept. 2022) -- Democrats are Divided as House Passes Bill Package to Fund Police

NPR All Things Considered (Nov. 2021) -- Why Voters Rejected Plans to Replace the Minneapolis Police Department

WCCO with Chad Hartman (Sept. 2021) -- Dr. Michelle Phelps on Minneapolis Policing

MPR News with Angela Davis (May 2021) -- Police and Traffic Stops: When Should Officers Pull Drivers Over?

The TakeAway (April 2021) -- What's Next for the Minneapolis Police Department?

Dialogue Minnesota (June 2020) -- What Does "Dismantling" the Police Really Mean?

KERA NEWS (April 2019) -- Forget The Petty Theft Hullabaloo. Creuzot's Probation Reform Will Affect More People

Access Minnesota (Feb. 2018) -- Rise of Probation

Access Minnesota (April 2017) -- Criminal Justice Reform

Access Minnesota (July 2016) -- Racial Bias in Policing

Print/Digital Media Interviews

Racket (Sept. 2022) -- When RaShall Brackney Tried to Reform the Charlottesville Police Department, Cops Fought Back. Would Minneapolis Be Different? 

Time Magazine (May 2022) -- Two Years After George Floyd's Murder, Minneapolis Is Still Struggling to Redefine Policing 

Independent (March 2022) -- From George Floyd to Amir Locke, have Minneapolis Police Learned Nothing? 

Star Tribune (Feb. 2022) -- Crime in the Crosshairs as Major Minnesota Legislative, Campaign Focus in 2022

Guardian (Jan. 2022) -- Trial Begins of Three Ex-Police Officers Present at George Floyd Murder 

AP News (Jan 2022) -- Do Minnesota Cases Show it's Getting Easier to Convict Cops?

The Conversation (Nov. 2021) -- Why Voters Rejected Plans to Replace the Minneapolis Police Department 

Star Tribune (Sept. 2021) -- Minnesota Poll: Most Minnapolis Voters Want Reform, Not Fewer Cops (reprinted in PBS/Frontline)

New Yorker (July 2021) -- Derek Chauvin's Trial and George Floyd's City

New Republic (May 2021) -- The Justice Department Is Getting Back Into the Business of Police Oversight. Will It Matter? 

CNN (April 2021) -- Minnesota's Twin Cities Are Once Again the National Flashpoint over Race and Policing

WaPo (April 2021) -- As Derek Chauvin’s Former Bosses Line Up To Condemn Him, ‘Policing in America is On Trial’

Independent (April 2021) -- ‘The World is Watching’: The Fight for Minneapolis Police Reform

LeMonde (April 2021) -- Mort de George Floyd

Liberation (April 2021) -- Affaire George Floyd

BBC News Mundo (April 2021) -- George Floyd

Star Tribune (April 2021) -- After Duante Wright's Killing, Criticism of 'Pretextual' Traffic Stops Grows

Minnesota Reformer (April 2021) -- Stop the Car Stops

Star Tribune (March 2021) -- Chauvin Case Draws Inevitable Comparisons to Another High-Profile Police Murder Trial (Reprinted for FRONTLINE)

MN Daily (Dec. 2020) -- University Researchers Recommend Policing Changes Beyond Reform in North Minneapolis

CQ Researcher (Oct. 2020) -- Police Under Scrutiny - Can Law Enforcement Restore Public Trust?

Associated Press (Aug. 2020) -- GOP Portrayal of Urban Mayhem Doesn’t Always Match Reality 

Star Tribune (Aug. 2020) -- Minneapolis police face staffing challenges as violence rises

MN Daily (July 2020) -- What does changing the Minneapolis city charter mean for public safety?

Star Tribune (June 2020) -- Killing of George Floyd shows that years of police reform fall far short

LeMonde (June 2020) -- Mort de George Floyd : à Minneapolis, le démantèlement de la police s’annonce plus compliqué que prévu

WaPo (June 2020) -- Protests spread over police shootings. Police promised reforms. Every year, they still shoot and kill nearly 1,000 people

WaPo (May 2020) -- Minneapolis struggled with police violence and adopted reforms. ‘And yet, George Floyd is still dead.’

Philly Enquirer (Oct. 2019) -- The Probation Trap: Living in Fear

MN Daily (Oct. 2018) "Increase in reported sexual assaults, according to University safety report"

Star Tribune (Nov. 2018) “Latest numbers: Crime recedes in most parts of Minneapolis”

PolitiFact Wisconsin (Sept. 2018) “Tony Evers supports cutting prison population 50%, but releasing thousands of violent criminals?” 

Star Tribune (Aug. 2018) -- Release of Blevins Video Exposes Divide Between Police, Communities of Color

AP (Aug. 2018) -- FACT CHECK: Walker Right on Wisconsin Prison Population

MinnPost (Aug. 2018) -- Many Questions, Few Answers, As Minneapolis Council Takes Up Proposal To Change Police Oversight

USA Today (May 2018) -- At Santa Fe High School, Police Had an Active-Shooter Plan

MN Daily (March 2018) -- Stadium Village Rally Calls for UMPD to Disarm

Star Tribune (April 2018) -- With Few Women in Top Spots, Minneapolis Police Face a Challenge Diversifying Force

Star Tribune (Feb. 2018) -- Maplewood Police Says Study Shows They are Unbiased

TC Daily Planet (Jan. 2018) -- Principles of Less Eligibility: The Human Cost of Prison Labor 

Next City (Dec. 2017) -- Parole and Probation Reform Is Bigger Than Meek Mill

MN Daily (Oct. 2017) -- UMPD Expands Community Engagement Team

MN Daily (Oct. 2017) -- UMPD Joins Other Campus Police to Discuss College Free Speech Issues

Portland Tribune (July 2017) -- Probation Innovation Stymied by Lack of Data

MinnPost (June 2017) -- Why Tiny Polk County Sends So Many People to Prison

Star Tribune (April 2017) -- Female Police Officers' De-escalation Skills Changing Tone in Minneapolis

MN Daily (March 2017) -- Minneapolis Police Create New Division for Community Outreach

Yes! Magazine (March 2017) -- Defunding Police: How Antiracist Organizers Got Seattle to Listen

Star Tribune (Jan. 2017) -- Frustration Grows with Minneapolis Police Psychological Screening Process

MinnPost (Dec. 2016) -- Minneapolis is Hiring More Police Officers. Here's Why Some Advocates Argue That Won't Make the City Any Safer

MN Daily (Oct. 2016) -- Report: Total crimes Increased in Minneapolis Last Year

Chicago Reporter (Aug. 2016) -- Police Liability Insurance Measure Goes to Court in Minneapolis

FiveThirtyEight (July 2016) -- Why Are So Many Black Americans Killed By Police?

Pioneer Press (July 2016) -- St. Anthony Police Data Shows Disproportionate Arrests of Blacks

MN Daily (July 2016) -- Police Accountability Petition Advances

MN Daily (July 2016) -- Philando Castile Shooting Shows Reality of Racial Bias in Law Enforcement Says Obama, Gov. Dayton

MN Daily (June 2016) -- Dayton Backs Revised Police Body Cam Bill

MN Daily (February 2015) -- Mpls. Unveils Group for Police Conduct Oversight

Star Tribune (Dec. 2014) -- Twin Cities Forum Explore Racial Bias, Police Tactics

Star Tribune (Nov. 2014) -- Small-Time Arrests Down as Mpls. Police Shift Focus

Wake Mag (Nov 2014) -- Minneapolis Police Department Testing Officer Body Cameras

Wake Mag (Nov 2013) -- Alert: This is a Desensitizing, Vague Message about Crime