NCJ Number
179691
Date Published
1999
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This report presents the results of a meeting of representatives of 15 AmeriCorps projects; the meeting's purpose was to identify the most important trends and emerging issues in community public safety as experienced by the diverse communities represented at the meeting, as well as to share some of the effective practices that these communities have developed or adapted in their daily work.
Abstract
The meeting brought together representatives of AmeriCorps "affinity groups" in domestic violence, community policing, and youth violence prevention. "Affinity groups" are an effective way to deliver technical assistance to a large group of programs. Through group empowerment, programs take active leadership in helping each other solve problems in implementation, operation, and management, thus exchanging effective projects for replication. Among the emerging issues and trends identified at the meeting were violence as an acceptable way to solve problems, the lack of trust between communities and police, kids' use of guns to resolve conflict, the changing face of gangs, how children are affected by violence in their families, State standards for the treatment of men who physically abuse their intimate partners, and welfare reform. After identifying trends and emerging issues, the meeting participants "brainstormed" a checklist of recommendations that communities might consider to address these issues; this checklist is provided in this report. This is followed by descriptions of AmeriCorps effective practices. The programs described are safe homes, teen courts, community assistance for police, park rangers, children's program, a domestic violence assessment center, legal services, conflict resolution training, a youth baseball league, and alternative sentencing.