Project Safe Neighborhoods: Strategic Interventions - Chronic Violent Offenders Lists (Case Study 4)

• NCJ Number: 240868
• Date Published: May 2006
• Length: 39 pages
• Agencies: BJA
• Award: PSN Academy: Proposal to Provide Technical Assistance

Annotation

This report presents a case study on a specific strategic intervention, chronic violent offenders lists, developed by Project Safe Neighborhood to reduce gun crime.

Abstract

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is an initiative developed by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat gun crime. PSN consists of a network of local partnerships coordinated through the Nation's 94 U.S. Attorneys' Offices and supported by a strategy that provides them with the resources they need to be successful in reducing gun crime. The PSN initiative integrates five essential elements from successful gun crime reduction programs: partnerships, strategic planning, training, outreach, and accountability. This report presents an overview of the PSN initiative and focuses specific discussion on one of the strategic interventions that is part of the PSN initiative: chronic violent offender lists. Chronic violent offender lists involves identifying individuals who are the most violent gun offenders and then developing strategies in response to these individuals. This strategy is similar to the use of most wanted lists, but it also differs from these lists in several ways: the list is part of a more comprehensive approach to reducing gun crime; the strategy involves the use of specific criteria to identify the most violent individuals in the jurisdiction; and the use of data analysis in the identification of offenders to be included on the list. This report contains detailed information on the use of chronic violent offender lists to reduce gun crime. The report discusses the logical basis of chronic violent gun offender strategies, goals of chronic violent gun offender strategies, methods of constructing a most violent gun offender list, operational uses for chronic violent gun offenders lists, additional implementation issues of the strategy, and the impact of chronic violent gun offender strategies on gun crime. Figure, references, and endnotes