OPINION:
The primary hero of the new “Superman” movie is, to no one’s surprise, Superman himself, but he could not have righted wrongs without help from the Justice Gang. The Justice Gang, a subset of the Justice League featured in DC Comics, is a team of independent, heroic do-gooders dedicated to stamping out wrongdoing.
By showcasing this allied approach to crime-fighting, the film suggests that a superhuman savior and the government sometimes need help from intermediaries to deliver justice. Indeed, in the 2025 incarnation of the movie, the government that resembles our own gets a mixed treatment, aligning with Superman only at the end.
Fortunately for those of us who are not willing to wait for a man with a cape, there are several encouraging examples of nonprofit programs, like the Justice Gang, that seek to counteract crime by filling the gap between government and individuals.
First, although Americans who witness a crime cannot call Superman, they can call Crime Stoppers to report many serious crimes. In so doing, they typically receive the incentive of a monetary award. Crime Stoppers also fills a gap, as some victims and witnesses may prefer anonymity or lack confidence in the police.
Local crime stoppers organizations are mainstays of the justice system in many parts of the country and other countries. The most recent study demonstrating the program’s effectiveness in increasing the share of solved crimes comes from Britain. Earlier research in the U.S. found that Crime Stoppers helps police clear many felonies that otherwise would not have been solved. Studies also show that offering modest rewards delivers the greatest return on investment, as the existence of a reward plays a greater role in generating tips than its amount.
Solving more crimes is a moral imperative to deliver justice for victims and deter future lawbreaking. Although the rate at which homicide and other crimes are cleared appears to have increased in 2024 and 2025, these rates remain far below where they were in the 1960s, the earliest period for which data is available.
Of course, investments by government entities, foundations, businesses and individuals in Crime Stoppers and similar organizations are no substitute for bolstering the capacity of law enforcement agencies to solve crimes. Indeed, the two go hand in hand. Although Crime Stoppers typically shares the tips it receives with police agencies, detectives, forensic labs and other resources are then required to turn those tips into solved crimes. Recognizing the harm caused by unsolved criminal cases, Pennsylvania and Missouri recently enacted legislation to upgrade the capacity of local police agencies to investigate and solve serious crimes. Other states should follow.
Although Crime Stoppers has been around for decades, a relatively new “safe surrender” program in Detroit also fits the mission of the Justice Gang. Through this initiative, community members known as “credible messengers” facilitate the process of gun violence suspects surrendering. This helps reduce confrontations such as unannounced police raids of homes and high-speed chases, which endanger suspects, officers and community members.
One possible factor in the success of this nonprofit organization, Detroit Friends and Family, is that its core purpose is delivering services such as mentoring and job training, building trust in the East Detroit neighborhoods where it also helps those who are being sought for shootings surrender safely to police. With only a little more than a dozen cases processed thus far, it’s unclear whether the program can be scaled, but the concept and results are promising.
In addition to helping police solve crimes, the Justice Gang must do what it can to prevent them from occurring. One of the most promising crime prevention approaches is intervening at an early age with teens who are most likely to engage in delinquency.
Chicago’s Choose to Change project, operated by the nonprofit organizations Brightpoint and Youth Advocate Programs, combines mentoring and cognitive behavioral therapy for youths most at risk of delinquency. A 2025 study found evidence of lasting benefits, including a 23% reduction in arrests for violent crime compared with a control group.
Unlike Superman, America’s Justice Gang requires funding to accomplish its work. Since the start of this year, the federal government has dramatically scaled back grants for nonprofit criminal justice groups in a bid to rein in daunting deficits. Some grants for victims’ services have been restored, while others are being litigated and appealed. However, the spotlight now rightly turns to state and local governments, as the Constitution places street crime largely within their ambit.
Unfortunately, no superhuman can single-handedly perfect our criminal justice system, and no Kryptonite can neutralize all lawbreaking. Moreover, in evaluating nonprofit programs, we must remember that they are not all created equal and the resources to fund their work are limited. Given such realities, rigorous research is essential to pinpoint which programs are most effective for which circumstances and which can be scaled.
Like Superman and the Justice Gang, though, we must also be motivated by the price of inaction, as crime is estimated to cost the U.S. $4.71 trillion to $5.76 trillion annually.
Unlike in Hollywood, the good guys don’t always win on our streets. However, in pursuit of a safer society and justice for all, we must not leave effective nonprofit programs out of the script.
• Marc A. Levin is chief policy counsel for the Council on Criminal Justice. He can be reached at mlevin@counciloncj.org.
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