Community-Based Violence Prevention: An Assessment of Pittsburgh's One Vision One Life Program

• NCJ Number: 230758
• Author(s): Jeremy M. Wilson; Steven Chermak; Edmund F. McGarrell
• Date Published: June 2010
• Length: 186 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2006-IJ-CX-0030
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation; Program/Project Description
• Award: One Vision One Life Evaluation (RAND Proposal 2006-0148)

Annotation

This monograph assesses the implementation and impact of the One Vision One Life violence-prevention strategy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Abstract

In 2003, Pittsburgh witnessed a 49-percent increase in homicides, prompting a "grassroots" creation and implementation of the One Vision One Life antiviolence strategy. This initiative used a problem-solving, data-driven model, including street-level intelligence, to intervene in escalating disputes, and seeks to place youth in appropriate social programs. Analysis of the program, which is modeled on similar efforts elsewhere, can help inform other efforts to address urban violence and should be of interest to policymakers, practitioners, communities, and researchers interested in preventing violence and understanding the dynamics of a violence-prevention initiative. In 2006, more than 6 million individuals were victimized by violent crimes in the United States. Although violence is below levels of the early 1990s, it remains high. The extent of violence and its impact highlight a critical need to develop and implement effective programs to reduce violence and victimization. Communities have initiated a wide range of such programs, and scholars have conducted numerous evaluations of varying quality of them. Reviews have found certain types of strategies and specific programs to be promising, but additional critical evaluations are needed to plan violence-reduction programs.