Resource Results
As 2022 begins, America’s cities confront an ongoing surge in violent crime, particularly homicide. The Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) documented a 30% rise in murders nationwide in 2020, while police data from large cities reveal another 7% increase in 2021.1 Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Portland, and at least ten other municipalities experienced the most homicides in their cities’ history last year. This spike has been driven primarily by community gun violence, or violence involving… Read More
There is no single agreed-upon definition of gangs. These groups are often easier to describe than
define, and even the most widely used definitions do not reflect unanimity of opinion (Klein and Maxson
2006). There is even less agreement on this definition as it pertains to youth. Several scholars have
noted the challenges associated with defining “gang” and “youth gang” and the problems with applying
nebulous definitions of these terms to research and program… Read More
In 2018, the Urban Institute received funding from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the Office
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to develop a guide for using research-based
practice to reduce youth gun and gang/group violence. It is intended to inform local government, law
enforcement, and community-violence-intervention stakeholders as they implement new strategies
and refine existing ones to reduce youth gang/group and gun… Read More
The recommended strategies are derived from research on the impact of various efforts to reduce shootings and homicides committed by youth between the ages of 10 and 25 in gangs/groups and with the use of guns. Research indicates that a common feature of the most effective efforts involves collaborations among law enforcement agencies, local government agencies, and community organizations in designing, implementing, and testing policies and practices designed to prevent and respond to… Read More
Collecting data and evaluating programs should be a critical element of all criminal justice and behavioral health initiatives. Data help illustrate what is working, what needs to change, and which stated outcomes are achieved. In the short term, data can be used to set goals and assess needs, and in the long term, data can help answer research questions, evaluate program outcomes, and inform continuous program improvement.
Community violence consists of the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against another person, group or community in a specific location that results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation.
Large-scale events provide local governments with a number of valuable opportunities, including
increasing tourism and revenue; showcasing host city venues and attractions; and, working with
the community to create a positive narrative about the city and its public safety agencies by
serving as a welcoming host for a premier event.
This Guide begins with the most essential component of any crime-fighting strategy: Leadership. It then discusses the importance of the problem-solving process: Violent Crime Identification and Analysis. While this theory of the craft may be intuitive to many law enforcement executives, the importance of this process cannot be overstated. Problem identification and analysis are the first steps of any successful strategy.
In the fall of 2015, Howard University’s Ronald W. Walters Leadership and Public Policy Center was
notified that it would receive a Community Policing Development grant from the U.S. Department
of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). The grant was awarded
for a study of police-community relations using college students to help drive the discussion on diversity and inclusion and how best to transform recruitment strategies for law… Read More
Established in January 2005 under the leadership of key elected and appointed officials, the
Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission (MHRC) has been a central component of the City
of Milwaukee’s violence prevention efforts. Drawing on public health and criminal justice
approaches, the Commission was designed to achieve the following goals:
1. Gain a better understanding of homicide through strategic problem analysis.
2. Develop innovative and effective… Read More
