Crime and Policy Evaluation Research Group (CAPER)

Founded in 2005, CAPER is an informal network of crime and social policy researchers at Louisiana State University. CAPER seeks to promote collaboration in criminology and related areas by combining LSU research talent across a variety of fields. There are three main objectives: research, funding, and education.

Most of the research conducted by CAPER members focuses on crime and policy in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and the state of Louisiana more broadly. Faculty and students, graduate and undergraduate, work together to study topics such as but not limited to:

  • Violent victimization in impoverished Baton Rouge neighborhoods
  • Perceptions of crime and safety in East Baton Rouge Parish
  • Recent recidivism trends in the state of Louisiana
  • The effectiveness of recent initiatives to reduce violence in Baton Rouge
  • The homicide patterns in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina