Evaluation of Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiatives (CVIPI) in New Haven, CT, and York, PA

The University of New Haven will conduct a 5-year mixed methods evaluation of Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiatives (CVIPI) operating in New Haven, CT, and York, PA. These cities experienced dramatic increases in violent crime and victimization in 2020, and current levels remain elevated compared to 2019. For both projects, developmental, process, and impact evaluation will examine whether stronger collaborations among community stakeholders have been built, if enhanced programming is being offered to those at greater risk for violent crime involvement and victimization, whether data collection and use of data have been improved, and if violent crime and victimization have been reduced.

New Haven, CT, received FY 2023 BJA CVIPI funding to create a Violence Reduction Working Group, develop a CVI Strategic Plan, address gaps in the city’s community violence intervention landscape, develop a coordinated data collection and sharing system, and ensure continual program development. This project, titled PRESS Forward, targets young adults aged 18-34 who are high-risk due to their immediate social networks, involvement in gun-related offenses, gang and group connections, and/or being a victim of violence. LogoWorks Partners of York, PA, applied for FY 2024 BJA CVIPI funding to create a collaborative prevention and intervention system, the York Safer Together Network (YSTN). This network seeks to link multiple violence prevention and intervention strategies and create pathways for youth to build trust and legitimacy with law enforcement and other social institutions available in the community. YSTN aims to reduce violence among those 24 years old and younger.

The evaluation will include use of multiple types of quantitative and qualitative data: service record and official crime data, collected and maintained by participating agencies; service provider data, collected from staff of participating agencies; participant data, collected from individuals engaged in CVIPI programming; and observational data, collected on-site by the research partners and trained observers. The evaluation will involve ongoing participation and collaboration with CVIPI stakeholders in both locations, to ensure the evaluation needs of participating agencies are met and the research questions of greatest interest are answered.

Interim and final reports will be submitted as required by NIJ, and quantitative and qualitative data resulting from the research will be deposited with the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data. Research briefs and multiple manuscripts appropriate for publication in peer-reviewed journals and academic books will be produced, along with national and regional presentations at both academic and practitioner-oriented conferences. CA/NCF