Chicago Ceasefire - Postplenary Session at the 2009 NIJ Conference

• NCJ Number: 234719
• Author(s): Candace Kane; Tim Metzger; Frank Perez; Charlie Ransford
• Date Published: June 2009
• Length: 13 pages
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description; Conference Material

Annotation

This is the audio and transcript for the post-plenary session of questions and answers relating to outreach work associated with the Chicago Ceasefire Project.

Abstract

The outreach work is distinguished from the work of law enforcement, although the police agency provides the outreach program with data on crime, particularly shootings, so that outreach personnel and resources target areas at high risk for shootings. Outreach workers distinguish themselves from service providers who focus on the gang, drug, and gun problems. The stated goal of the outreach workers is about "stopping shootings and killings." They work with the people who are most closely associated with the problem in the areas that are disproportionately affected by such violence. Outreach workers make contacts with shooting victims through hospitals and health clinics. This focus on victims is the result of data that show victims of shootings are likely to be involved in the dynamics of violence in a high-risk neighborhood. Outreach workers interact with shooting victims and their families to work toward the goal of reducing shootings and their devastating effects, The session discusses hiring policies for outreach workers and some documented successes of the outreach program.