NCJ Number
187765
Journal
On Good Authority Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: August 2000 Pages: 1-4
Date Published
August 2000
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes a program to combat gang violence in a Chicago neighborhood.
Abstract
The Gang Violence Reduction Project addressed activities in Chicago's Little Village, a predominantly Mexican-American community of 60,000 residents. It targeted 200 male gang members ages 14 to 24 involved in two gangs in conflict with each other. Project team members provided counseling and advice, mainly on the streets and often at night and on weekends. About half of the gang members received home visits and were provided family counseling. The project contributed to significant reductions in crime committed by targeted gang members, particularly violence and drug offenses. The collaborative cross-agency, community-based approach was more effective than traditional approaches emphasizing singular strategies, such as prevention, social intervention, or suppression. However, the combined approach involving police, probation, youth outreach workers, and a neighborhood organizer was difficult to implement and sustain. In addition, the Chicago Police Department struggled to staff the project and at the same time fulfill its commitments to citywide community policing programs and a domestic violence initiative. Figure