QUOTABLE: ALFRED BLUMSTEIN

"Fear of interpersonal violence is a major concern of many in the United States; a similar concern is escalating in many other nations. Yet it is hard to imagine a public-policy arena that has been more impervious to input from research....

"This is a result of two related failures: One is the past failure of our funding agencies to adequately support research on violence-its causes and the effects of various means to control it. The second is the failure of our legislators and public officials to apply even the limited knowledge that we do have to policies that address violence."
Alfred Blumstein, in Science, July 28, 2000