Kennedy, Braga Win 2027 Stockholm Prize

David M. Kennedy and Anthony A. Braga share the prize in criminology for three decades of research into preventing violence and gun homicide.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Violence

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John Jay College professor David M. Kennedy has won the 2027 Stockholm Prize in Criminology, shared with Anthony A. Braga of the University of Pennsylvania. The award recognizes their research and implementation of evidence-based approaches to violence prevention.

Why it matters

The Stockholm Prize in Criminology is one of the field's most renowned awards, and the honor recognizes an approach to reducing youth homicide and gun violence that has shaped U.S. policing and community programs. Kennedy is only the second John Jay faculty member to receive the prize.

The award follows three decades of research and the founding of the National Network for Safe Communities in 2009. The extraction does not report specific outcome measurements for the programs cited.

The players

David M. Kennedy

Kennedy is a John Jay College criminal justice professor and faculty chair of the National Network for Safe Communities, known for co-developing Operation Ceasefire.

Anthony A. Braga

Braga is a University of Pennsylvania researcher who shares the Stockholm Prize in Criminology with Kennedy for work on evidence-based violence prevention.

The details

Kennedy and Braga researched, developed and implemented Group Violence Intervention, which identifies small networks of individuals at risk of violence and coordinates community leaders, law enforcement and social service providers. Kennedy co-developed Operation Ceasefire, the Boston Gun Project, which pioneered a focused deterrence strategy to reduce youth homicide and gun violence.

Mid-1990s: Kennedy helps develop the focused deterrence strategy in response to high levels of youth homicide and gun violence.
2009: Kennedy founds the National Network for Safe Communities.
2016: Cathy Spatz Widom receives the Stockholm Prize for research on childhood abuse and neglect.
November 6, 2026: Core event date from the extraction; the 2027 award is announced.

Seasonal Patterns

The recognition extends the focused deterrence model first tested in Boston's Operation Ceasefire to the wider national effort led by the National Network for Safe Communities.

Communities already running Group Violence Intervention programs may see continued use of the focused deterrence model that Kennedy and Braga helped build. The extraction does not describe changes to local services or safety measures.

The takeaway

Evidence-based violence prevention combines law enforcement, community leaders and social services rather than relying on one agency. Recognition like this highlights programs that target small high-risk networks instead of entire neighborhoods.