Thomas Abt

Thomas Abt is an author, crime researcher, and policymaker known for his expertise in reducing urban violence. He is the founding director of the Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction and serves as an associate research professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland. Abt teaches, studies, and advises on evidence-informed approaches to violence reduction in the United States and internationally. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor with honors from Georgetown University Law Center.

Before entering academia, Abt worked as a prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney's office and as an associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, focusing on litigation. He later served as chief of staff to the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice, collaborating with criminal justice grant-making and research agencies to integrate evidence, policy, and practice. During his tenure, Abt played a key role in establishing the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, a network of federal agencies and local communities addressing youth and gang violence. He also served as deputy secretary for public safety to Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York, overseeing criminal justice and homeland security agencies and leading the development of New York's GIVE (Gun-Involved Violence Elimination) Initiative, which applies evidence-based, data-driven strategies to reduce gun violence.

Abt has held senior research positions at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Law School. He served as research director for the Evidence-Informed Violence Reduction Project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development's Central American Regional Security Initiative. He chaired the Council on Criminal Justice Violent Crime Working Group and directed its National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice. Throughout his career, Abt has advised public officials on anti-crime strategies and violence prevention both in the United States and abroad.

In his book "Bleeding Out: The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence—and a Bold New Plan for Peace in the Streets," Abt examines cost-effective, evidence-informed strategies to address high rates of violence, emphasizing the importance of tackling violence as a primary step in breaking cycles of poverty. His research and commentary have appeared in academic journals and major media outlets, including The Atlantic, The Economist, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, and National Public Radio. His TED talk on community violence has reached a wide audience.