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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · 6d

The Prosecutors and Politics Project at UNC School of Law has released a study analyzing over 11,000 bills changing criminal law in all 50 states between 2015 and 2018. Please join me and a very distinguished panel today, October 1, at Noon EST to discuss the implications. lnkd.in/etzAqi3M

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · 18d

It’s true though!!

<kicks can>
<sulks>
<jumps on tiny dirt bike>
>rides off into the dirty sunset>

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · 18d

Once again, Gen X is forgotten.

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · 20d

I would be happy to accept that title!

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · 27d

Without looking closely, I have twelve papers in there. Since authors are not paid for academic articles, the irony would be that this would be my first check.

Ryan Estrada @ryanestrada.com · Sep 6

Just a reminder to check for your name in this list of books that OpenAI trained from. If your name is there, they probably owe you several thousand dollars.

OpenAI cried that if everyone eligible author files, the company will go bankrupt, so I'm alerting every author I have ever spoken to.

Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI

Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.

www.theatlantic.com

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · 27d

I think 83% of my emails are this exchange.

Them: What time can you meet on Wednesday?
Me: Anytime but 10 to 11
Them: Great, I'll send an invite for 10.

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Sep 5

In the opening sequence of Numbers, he writes X=yb on the glass. That was the beginning of the end...

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Sep 3

Crime control is undergoing a massive shift in the US and around the world, with surveillance tech advancing much faster than privacy protections. Bottom-line: the tech does reduce crime, and, it will likely infringe on civil liberties without careful regulation. www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...

AI Startup Flock Thinks It Can Eliminate All Crime In America

With more than 80,000 AI-powered cameras across the U.S., Flock Safety has become one of cops’ go-to surveillance tools. Now CEO Garrett Langley has both police tech giant Axon and Chinese drone maker...

www.forbes.com

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Sep 2

Polls show most Americans think crime is rising because 'crime' is a catch-all term. But, there are dozens of evidence-based ways to reduce disorder and fight crime, and many of the most effective approaches do not involve the police. open.substack.com/pub/johnkrom...

When people say crime is a big problem, are they really talking about crime?

Sometimes, but not always

open.substack.com

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Sep 1

This post was your magnum opus. Bravo.

John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Aug 25

The Abundance agenda has real promise, but it does require a much more serious approach to crime. open.substack.com/pub/johnkrom...

On the YIMBY-Abundance Crime Blind Spot

Nudging the pro-city crowd toward more effective crime policy

open.substack.com

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Aug 18

Bravo!

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Aug 14

Spot on. I would note that there are 43 law enforcement agencies operating in Washington, the majority of which are federal. The Capitol Hill police alone have a force about the size of Cleveland's municipal police.

Emily Badger @emmbadger.bsky.social · Aug 14

The president wants to “take back” DC, but the federal government never really let it go.

It touches nearly every aspect of life in the city, making it harder for local officials to manage even the things Trump cares most about.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/14/u...

Trump Wants to ‘Take Back’ D.C., but the Federal Government Already Controls Much of It

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by John Roman

Emily Badger @emmbadger.bsky.social · Aug 14

The president wants to “take back” DC, but the federal government never really let it go.

It touches nearly every aspect of life in the city, making it harder for local officials to manage even the things Trump cares most about.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/14/u...

Trump Wants to ‘Take Back’ D.C., but the Federal Government Already Controls Much of It

www.nytimes.com

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Aug 14

There are several evidence-based explanations for the crime spike and decline. I summarize them here, and explain why some fit the data better than others: johnkroman.substack.com/p/explaining...

Explaining the COVID Violence Spike and the Roaring Crime Decline

Four Reasons for the Historic Beginning to the 2020s

johnkroman.substack.com

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Aug 14

Such a bad take from the @nytimes.com. It ignores decades of evidence from police research, criminology, economics, etc. It's a barstool conversation based on a hazy recollection of college sociology. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/14/o...

Opinion | Crime Keeps Falling. Here’s Why.

www.nytimes.com

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Aug 4

It is hard to think of an idea with more staying power, and one with less empirical support, than the idea that the way to be tough on crime is to lock lots of people up. What I want to propose here is a much more effective way to be tough on crime. open.substack.com/pub/johnkrom...

Let’s get tough on crime by solving more crimes

Choosing between certainty and punishment

open.substack.com

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Jul 29

It’s interesting that there seems to have been some inflation in the estimates too: it was 18,000, then 18,500, now I see 19,000. It’s totally plausible there is an increase, but, you’d think we’d *know* this!

John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Jul 29

I have say, I never thought about this. That’s a helluva good insight!

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Jul 27

Gun violence continues to declining rapidly. open.substack.com/pub/johnkrom...

New CDC Data Shows a Substantial Decline in Gun Violence in 2024

Gun Violence Declines are Accelerating and Greater (Local) State Capacity is the Reason

open.substack.com

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Jul 8

Disorder has declined a lot since 2020. And it appears that a big increase in the size of local governments around the country is driving the change. This upends the long-held idea that disorder is driven almost exclusively by local policy. open.substack.com/pub/johnkrom...

Disorder is Declining Along with Violence

All crime is not local

open.substack.com

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Reposted by John Roman

Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting @pcgvr.org · Jun 18

Philadelphia homicides leapt from 13 victims in April to 30 last month, according to new Philly Stat 360 update today: philly-stat-360.phila.gov/pages/homici...

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Jun 13

I coach little league, both baseball and softball. Our commissioner gives a speech to coaches at a banquet each spring. The point is: tell the parents that none of these kids will play pro ball and there are vanishingly few full-ride college scholarships. And young athletes are fragile.

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Jun 13

Rehabs are full of young men who got hurt playing sports and end up down the rabbit hole. A young man whose sense of self-worth is tied to their athletic performance will find the quick fix unless those around them support a better path. They often don't. www.thebaltimorebanner.com/sports/brian...

The unraveling of a former Orioles pitcher

Brian Matusz was once the Baltimore Orioles’ next great hope. How did an ‘all-American’ kid lose his way?

www.thebaltimorebanner.com

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John Roman @johnkroman.bsky.social · Jun 9

Are you denying the greatness of the Motorcycle Song? www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvLt...

Arlo Guthrie - Motorcycle Song

YouTube video by PatchouliHaze

www.youtube.com

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