This article contributes to an effort to identify perceptions related to the prevalence of violent crime, crime contributors, the relationship between community and law enforcement, and potential interventions and solutions; it lays out the authors' research methodology and outcomes, and provides a discussion of the implications of the authors’ findings.
The current study is part of a community engaged planning phase and aimed to identify perceptions related to the prevalence of violent crime, crime contributors, the relationship between the community and law enforcement, and potential interventions and solutions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals from five groups who resided or worked in Bessemer, Alabama: (1) Law Enforcement, (2) Residents, (3) Civic Leaders, (4) Community Leaders, and (5) Victims of Crime. Emerging themes were examined in accordance with the CDC Social-Ecological Model: A Framework for Prevention. Participants (N = 18) were 50.0 percent female and 77.8 percent African American with an age range of 25–59 (mean = 43.4 years). Themes that emerged related to crime were: (1) impact, (2) contributors, and (3) solutions. Results indicate that impacts of violent crime at the individual level focused on fear, which led to widespread mental health issues. Relationship-level impacts included a lack of trust of law enforcement and neighbors, and community level impacts were decreased neighborhood social cohesion as well as decreased safety. At the societal level, the poor reputation of the city was consistently highlighted. For contributors of crime, being a youth under age 30, drugs, and money were discussed as factors at the individual level. At the relationship level, participants mentioned poor parenting and gangs as crime contributing factors to violent crime. Furthermore, contributing issues related to under-resourced schools as well as a poor relationship with law enforcement were brought up at the community level. Similarly, poverty was the overarching contributing issue at the societal level. Solutions that emerged included: education and training in life skills, focusing on young people, family/parenting, conflict resolution programs, programs within schools, improved relationships with law enforcement, and inclusive economic opportunities. Intervention plans are discussed that can merge these stakeholder findings with other data sources. (Published Abstract Provided)
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