The role of prisons in reducing crime is overrated, suggest University of Chicago Professor Jens Ludwig and Duke University Professor Phil Cook, both members of the Chicago Crime Lab, in a new article, The Economist's Guide to Crime Busting, in the Winter 2011 edition of the Wilson Quarterly. They suggest three specific steps to reduce crime: raise the minimum age at which adolescents can legally leave school, encourage more “business improvement districts.” and increase taxes on alcoholic beverages.