Evaluation of the Kings Against Violence Initiative's (KAVI) Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program (HVIP)

This research project--led by the Center for Criminal Justice Research at MDRC in partnership with Dr. Nazsa Baker--responds to a high violent victimization rate across the United States that disproportionately affects communities of color and young people. Specifically, it seeks to fill the gap in evaluation literature on hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIP) in examining the intersection of victim services and future violence reduction. The proposed research evaluates the Kings Against Violence Initiative's (KAVI) HVIP in Central Brooklyn, NY, including a quasi-experimental matched comparison study, an implementation study, and an in-depth qualitative dive into understanding victim experiences. The proposed project will build evidence on HVIP models in supporting victims of crime by 1) assessing the extent to which KAVI's HVIP is implemented with fidelity to the model, 2) understanding the victim experience of service receipt, and 3) testing the program's effectiveness on key outcomes including avoiding future violence and injury and deterring future arrests. It will be conducted with the support and collaboration of KAVI. CA/NCF