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Can virtual actors strengthen the trust of people with a migration background in the police? A research team from the University of Würzburg has investigated this. The results surprised even those responsible. Intelligent virtual agents can help to strengthen the trust of people with a migration background in institutions such as the police.

Police encounters do deter young offenders. The more often the police detect them, the more risk-aware they become, and the more likely they are to abstain from criminal activities. However, this is not equally true for all'adolescents, but particularly for young people with low morals. These are the results of a recently published study led by Florian Kaiser, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute in Freiburg im Breisgau, which will play an important role in shaping police work.

People react differently to becoming a victim of crime when they live in disadvantaged neighborhoods: Their fear of crime increases more strongly compared to victims from privileged neighborhoods. This is the finding of a study involving over 3,000 participants from the German cities of Cologne and Essen, conducted by Florian Kaiser and Dietrich Oberwittler from the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law in Freiburg, Germany.

Criminologists use Virtual Reality to assess the impact of street lighting and watching-eyes interventions In a virtual reality study, a team of researchers - including criminologists from the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law - find environmental crime reduction interventions may not be effective or may even be counterproductive when it comes to reducing fear of crime.

People who have short-term mindsets (i.e., impulsivity, sensation-seeking, and low future orientation) are more likely to commit crime. In our research, we consider how adverse environments and experiences affect short-term mindsets. A research team at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law found that harsh and unpredictable environments, victimization, and first-time and early police contact are each associated with more short-term thinking.

Freie Universität Berlin, Max Planck Society, and Berlin State Monuments Office present the findings of their investigation into human remains found on Freie Universität land No 033/2021 from Feb 23, 2021 At an official public information event, experts from Freie Universität Berlin, the Max Planck Society, and the Berlin State Monuments Office ( Landesdenkmalamt Berlin ) presented the findings of their investigation into human remains found on the grounds of Freie Universität Berlin in recent years.

In the first few months of the corona pandemic, street patrol officers responded to new demands with a "medium stress level" although the individual experience of strain varied greatly. For example, factors leading to a high stress level were little work experience in the police force or feeling unprepared.