Using RDS to Identify Human Trafficking Victims in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County

Laura Ardito, Deputy Director, SAFE Center & Brian Kim, Assistant Research Professor
SAFE Center for Human Trafficking Survivors and the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences

The University of Maryland SAFE Center for Human Trafficking Survivors is testing the feasibility of Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) to estimate the prevalence and nature of human trafficking in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties in Maryland.

Using respondent driven sampling (RDS), a network-based survey approach, researchers hope to address: 1) whether RDS is appropriate for estimating the prevalence and nature of sex trafficking in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County, and 2) the nature and scope of human trafficking in the defined geographic regions, including victims’ reported victimization experiences and service needs.

The researchers have designed a survey that the participants will complete, and will analyze the results as part of this study.

At the end of the project, the researchers anticipate that they will have a tool ready to implement.

The results from this project will inform future RDS studies as well as potential new services and interventions for victims. Ultimately, this project hopes to produce quantitative and qualitative data statewide to inform policy, resource allocation and funding decisions for human trafficking projects/programs.

MCRIC Partners with Salisbury on Predictive Analytics Project

MCRIC Partners with Baltimore Police Department to Reduce Crime through Data-Driven, Research-Based Techniques and Innovations

The Baltimore Police Department (BPD), the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services, and the Maryland Crime Research and Innovation Center (MCRIC) at the University of Maryland are partnering on a new initiative to apply data-driven, research-informed strategies to crime reduction efforts in Baltimore.

MCRIC is collaborating with  Baltimore Police Department on their new “Baltimore Community Intelligence Centers,” which are modeled after the Chicago Police Department’s “Strategic Decision Support Centers.” These centers bring together tools, technology, processes and personnel to develop data-driven, proactive policing strategies;  help police to focus on high-risk offenders, places, and activities; allow them to practice focused deterrence, place-based response, as well as hot spot policing; and have led to a sustained drop in violent crime in the areas where they have been implemented.

“The Baltimore Police Department thanks the University of Maryland for this collaborative partnership as we work to implement evidence-based policing and management approaches toward a sustainable reduction in violent crime,” said Commissioner Harrison. “The addition of this research partnership will help provide a holistic approach on how we can maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of our resources.”

The centers implement new technology, including mobile devices, predictive policing, gunshot detection, and additional cameras, as well as new processes, including a commander’s daily briefing, and embedded crime data analysts who work collaboratively with police. A Crime Data Analyst from MCRIC will be embedded in BPD’s new Baltimore Community Intelligence Center in the Southwestern District. A 2019 Rand Corporation research study found that Strategic Decision Support Centers are a promising tool for supporting crime reduction.

“We are pleased to have helped foster this relationship between the Baltimore Police Department and University of Maryland,” said Glenn Fueston, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services. “Leveraging data on violent crime can be an effective tool to make communities in Baltimore City safer. We are hopeful this partnership will yield real results and bring us closer to long-term solutions.”

Sarah Appleby, the new MCRIC Crime Data Analyst working with BPD’s Southwestern District, is an advanced Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland. Appleby will apply her data analysis and research skills to her new role with BPD, working collaboratively with officers to identify  individuals and places at high risk for violence or victimization, developing strategy, and engaging in real-time crime analysis.

“The Maryland Criminal Research and Innovation Center is excited to collaborate with the Baltimore Police Department on this important initiative, and contribute our research expertise and data analysis skills toward crime reduction efforts in Baltimore,” said MCRIC Director and Chair of Criminology and Criminal Justice Dr. Gary LaFree. “We look forward to building a long-term partnership with our colleagues at Baltimore Police Department, the University of Maryland Baltimore and the University of Maryland College Park, and the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services to make a positive impact and help keep Baltimore residents safe.”

 MCRIC is an interdisciplinary initiative working with law enforcement, lawmakers, academic peers, and industry leaders, to promote data sharing, exchange of knowledge and best practices, and development of new approaches. MCRIC launched in 2018 with support from the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services and draws research expertise from across multiple academic disciplines at the University of Maryland, including the top-ranked Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Evaluation of the Swift, Certain, and Fair Program Implementation in Baltimore

The Maryland Crime Research and Innovation Center (MCRIC) is partnering with the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) and the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) to conduct an implantation evaluation of the Swift, Certain, and Fair program, supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The goal of MCRIC’s planning support is to help BPD and MOCJ validate the problems that were targeted in the application, provide information on appropriate best practices given the community’s identified problems, and to assist in the development of an action plan for the initiative. 

In the early phase of the project, MCRIC will work closely with BPD and to collect comprehensive data and conduct analyses. MCRIC will also assist in the development of an action plan that will guide implementation and assessment of the SCF intervention. The action plan will identify a set of appropriate best practices given the nature of community, criminal activity, and resource constraints.

MCRIC will analyze crime, gun violence and gang surveillance data to monitor the progress of the initiative’s efforts and make suggestions as needed for any changes to the strategy, if challenges arise. In the last three months of the effort, MCRIC will conduct an overall outcome analysis of the effort focusing on the direct goals of the program: reduce violent crime, substance abuse, recidivism, and gun violence, and improve integration of community stakeholders. The following activities will be part of the outcome analysis:

1. Analyze trends in crime and intermediate measures affected by group violence intervention (GVI) operations.
2. Evaluate development of police and stakeholder practices related to gun crime, including new police practices to incorporate data generated by social network analysis, qualitative and quantitative data.
3. Produce, as needed, briefs or descriptions of regular analysis of crime and other data in order to inform and provide feedback to the program partners during planning and implementation.

Evaluation of the Baybrook Community-Based Group Violence Intervention Program

The Maryland Crime Research and Innovation Center (MCRIC) is partnering with the Greater Baybrook Alliance and the Baltimore Police Department to conduct a mixed method implementation and impact evaluation to inform the Community-Based Group Violence Intervention (CGVI) program. Funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the CGVI program has three objectives that are measurable using data collected by Baltimore Police Department (BPD), service providers, and community stakeholders with formal ties to the program:

Overall Program Objectives:

• Reduce gun violence (homicides and non-fatal shootings)
• Successfully deliver services to vulnerable individuals (at greatest risk of victimization or perpetration of gun violence)
• Reduce recidivism rate among vulnerable individuals who receive services

These objectives are aligned with three goals that rely on a mix of quantitative risk and needs assessment: to identify individuals that are at high risk of being vulnerable to gun violence, identification of service providers with whom the GBA interacts to connect with identified individuals, and to improve norms affecting public safety.

This project will evaluate the needs, theory of change, implementation, and outcomes of a community-based group violence intervention effort in the Greater Baybrook area to be completed in four phases. Leveraging longitudinal, time series data collected on crime rates, arrest, calls for service, overdose responses, shooting incidents, property-based databases, and offender-based data, we will model and assess the impact of the intervention.

Current Director: Dr. Bianca E. Bersani

Dr. Bianca E. Bersani is the Director of the Maryland Crime Research and Innovation Center (MCRIC) and Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. As a life course criminologist, her research interests involve the study of patterns and predictors of offending from adolescence through adulthood. Key themes include the investigation of desistance and persistence in offending, family and intimate relationship dynamics, divergence in offending across race/ethnicity, gender, and immigration status, and the application of innovative methodologies to understanding the mechanisms of behavioral change. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland and an M.A. from the University of Nebraska.

 Email: bbersani@umd.edu

Founding Director: Dr. Gary LaFree

Dr. Gary LaFree is the Founding Director of the Maryland Crime Research and Innovation Center (MCRIC) and Professor and Chair of the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department at the University of Maryland. He is also the former Director of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland.

Dr. LaFree received his Ph.D. in Sociology from Indiana University in 1979. During 2005-2006, he served as President of the American Society of Criminology (ASC). Dr. LaFree was named a Fellow of the American Society of Criminology in 2006 and a member of the National Academy of Science's Committee on Law and Justice in 2008. He has also served as the Past President of the ASC’s Division on International Criminology (1991-1993), the chair of the American Sociological Association’s Section on Crime, Law and Deviance (1991-1993), the Executive Board of the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation (2001-2006), and the Executive Committee of the Justice Research Statistics Association (2000-2001, 1993-1994).

While at the University of Maryland, Dr. LaFree has been a founding member of the Democracy Collaborative and an invited member of the National Consortium of Violence Research. Before joining the faculty at Maryland, Dr. LaFree served as the Chair of the Sociology and Criminology Department at the University of New Mexico for six years and as the Director of the New Mexico Criminal Justice Statistics Analysis Center for 13 years. Dr. LaFree was appointed by the Governor of New Mexico to chair the State Crime and Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council—a position that he filled for four years.

Dr. LaFree received the G. Paul Sylvestre Award for outstanding achievements in advancing criminal justice statistics in 1994, and the Phillip Hoke Award for excellence in applied research in 1994 and 1998, from the Justice Research Statistics Association. LaFree has written more than 60 articles and book chapters and three books and is currently on the editorial boards of seven journals.

Watch the Video below of Dr. LaFree discussing his work at the University of Maryland, and his thoughts on the future of the field of criminology and criminal justice.

The University of Maryland Maryland Crime Research and Innovation Center (MCRIC) seeks to establish partnerships with public agencies and private organizations across Maryland, integrating and analyzing data and conducting academic research analysis to develop and evaluate innovative strategies and policies aimed at reducing crime. MCRIC evaluates law enforcement strategies, as well as community violence reduction initiatives, identifying the most successful methodologies and approaches to help prevent and reduce crime.   

MCRIC is an interdisciplinary initiative, drawing from a broad range of expertise ranging from the nation’s #1 Criminology program to Computer Science, Information Studies, Artificial Intelligence, and Engineering, all Top 25 programs in the U.S., as well as Public Health, Business, and Social Work. MCRIC was launched in 2018 with support from the Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services.   

MCRIC works with a variety of partners, including police and practitioners, lawmakers, academic peers, and industry, to promote data sharing, exchange knowledge and best practices, and develop new approaches. The University of Maryland aspires to make MCRIC the premier crime research center in the nation.

MCRIC seeks out engagement with new partners across the state and across the nation. 

Please contact us at mcric@umd.edu.

G. Midgette, T. L. Spreen, L. C. Porter, P. Reuter, B. K. Hitchens. A Model to Assess the Feasibility of 911 Call Diversion Programs, August 2023. 

Y. Ma, K. Nakamura, E.-J. Lee, and S. S. Bhattacharyya. EADTC: An approach to interpretable and accurate crime prediction. In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, pages 170-177, Prague, Czech Republic, October 2022.

Y. Ma, K. Nakamura, E.-J. Lee, and S. S. Bhattacharyya. National institute of justice's recidivism forecasting challenge: Research paper, group MNLB. Technical Report 305046, National Criminal Justice Reference Service, 2022. Available from url https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/305046.pdf.

Y. Ma, X. Qi, K. Nakamura, and S. S. Bhattacharyya. Towards interpretable, attention-based crime forecasting. In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Maui, Hawaii, October 2023. To appear.