Philadelphia Youth Violence Reduction (OJJDP Model Program Guide)

Office of Justice Programs, Innovation - Partnerships – Safer Neighborhoods

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Serving Children, Families and Communities

PREVENTION

IMMEDIATE SANCTIONS

INTERMEDIATE SANCTIONS

RESIDENTIAL

REENTRY

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Philadelphia Youth Violence Reduction

Intervention:

The Philadelphia Youth Violence Reduction Partnership (YVRP) is a multi-agency effort involving various youth-serving organizations and criminal justice agencies partnering to reduce Philadelphia’s homicide rate and put violent youthful offenders on the path toward a productive majority. Since its establishment in 1999, YVRP has sought to help 14- to 24-year-olds at greatest risk of killing or being killed. Almost all YVRP participants are under court supervision, having contact with a probation or parole officer, and most have been convicted or adjudicated on a violent or drug-related charge at least once.

YVRP not only provides participants with increased supervision but also brings them support through access to critical resources such as employment, mentoring, healthcare, and drug treatment. While most probation departments are short on resources and face extremely heavy caseloads, in YVRP street workers, smaller caseloads, and police partnerships help bridge the gaps. Street workers in consultation with probation officers develop mentoring relationships with the participants and connect them with much needed social support, ranging from mental health counseling to employment assistance. Street workers also help participants’ parents get jobs and find housing and health care, thereby providing participants with more stable family lives.

With smaller caseloads, YVRP probation officers have more time to closely supervise their probationers. Police also accompany probation officers to the homes and hangouts of participants, serving as a reminder that the police support probation and allowing for police contact and interaction outside of the context of enforcement.

YVRP involves more than 10 public and private organizations and a staff of more than 50 police officers, probation officers, and street workers. The staff aim to see participants and their families more than 25 times a month to help connect the young offenders to school, work, or counseling, while ensuring strict enforcement of their probation.

Evaluation Methodology:

The evaluation relied on monitoring data collected from January 2000 to July 2003. To determine whether YVRP Police Districts experienced change in their levels of violence, evaluators collected the homicide data of the 24th and 25th Police Districts from 1994 to September 2003. The evaluation team analyzed monthly statistics on each participant and the holding of semi-annual interviews with street workers, police, and probation officers. The evaluators followed street workers closely to learn about their relationships with participants and shadowed probation officers to gain insights into their daily activities.

Evaluation Outcome:

Preliminary analysis of youth homicides in the YVRP Police Districts seems to provide at least initial evidence that the YVRP is indeed helping high-risk youths stay alive. The 10 years of homicide data collected from the Philadelphia Police on the YVRP Police Districts reveals that homicides in the 24th and 25th Police Districts were significantly lower after the start of YVRP. In looking at the raw averages, the 25th District saw a decrease from an average of 5.8 youth homicides per quarter before YVRP to 3.4 after YVRP. In the 24th District, youth homicides declined by an average of 1 per quarter over 4 years. The 25th District also saw a significant reduction in the number of homicides for all ages. There was, however, not a significant decrease in the number of homicides for victims of all ages in the 24th District.

Homicide trends also may support the conclusion that YVRP is having a positive effect in the districts in which it operates. The rate of homicide reduction was greater in the YVRP Police Districts than in the city as a whole. Trends show that 24th District homicides were slowly increasing over time, and during the quarter that YVRP was implemented there was a dramatic decline in homicides. However, following the immediate decrease, homicides have continued to increase at a faster pace than before YVRP. But this rate is significantly lower than the increase citywide.

In the 25th Police District, youth homicides dropped after the inception of YVRP and have continued to drop. This is in stark contrast to the city as a whole, where since the introduction of YVRP there has been a trend toward increased youth homicides. A similar pattern is seen in the trend of homicides of individuals of all ages in the 25th District.

Other Information:

References:

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. 2004. Caught in the Crossfire: Arresting Gang Violence by Investing in Kids. Washington, DC.

McClanahan, Wendy S. 2004. Alive at 25: Reducing Youth Violence Through Monitoring and Support. Philadelphia, Pa.: Public/Private Ventures.

Program Specification:

Current Rating:

Promising

Expected Date of Re-Review:

Spring 2013

Program Type:

Alcohol and Drug Therapy / Education

Cognitive Behavioral Treatment

Community and Problem-Oriented Policing

Community Awareness / Mobilization

Conflict Resolution / Interpersonal Skills

Family Therapy

Gang Prevention

Mentoring

Vocational/Job Training

Wraparound / Case Management

Ethnicity:

African American

Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

White

Gender:

Both

Age:

14 - 19

Special Populations:

Serious Offenders

Target Settings:

Urban

Problem Behaviors:

Aggression/Violence

Alcohol,Tobacco and Other Drug Use

Delinquency

Gang Activity

Risk & Protective Factors:

Risk

Community

Availability of alcohol and other drugs

Availability of firearms

Community crime / High crime neighborhood

Neighborhood youth in trouble

Family

Broken home

Family history of problem behavior / Parent criminality

Family management problems / Poor parental supervision and/or monitoring

Family violence

Pattern of high family conflict

Poor family attachment / Bonding

Sibling antisocial behavior

Individual

Antisocial behavior and alienation / Delinquent beliefs / General delinquency involvement / Drug dealing

Cognitive and neurological deficits/Low intelligence quotient/Hyperactivity

Early onset of aggression and/or violence

Gun possession / Illegal gun ownership and/or carrying

Life stressors

Mental disorder / Mental health problem / Conduct disorder

Victimization and exposure to violence

Peer

Association with delinquent and/or aggressive peers

Gang involvement / Gang membership

Peer alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drug use

School

Dropping out of school

Low academic achievement

Protective

Community

Presence and involvement of caring, supportive adults in the community

Family

Having a stable family

Opportunities for prosocial family involvement

Individual

Healthy / Conventional beliefs and clear standards

Perception of social support from adults and peers

Positive expectations / Optimism for the future

Peer

Involvement with positive peer group activities

Additional Information:

Status:

Program is in operation at this time.

Performance Measures:

Suggested OJJDP Performance Measures for the Program Types(s):

Mental Health Services
Cognitive Behavioral Treatment
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF
Delinquency Prevention
Family Therapy
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF
Mental Health Services
Family Therapy
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF
Gangs
Gang Prevention
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF
Mentoring
Mentoring
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF

Vocational/Job Training
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF

Contact Information:

Program Developer:
Wendy S. McClanahan
Public/Private Ventures
2000 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: 2155640749
Fax: 2155574469
Website: Click Here

John Delaney
Committee Co-Chair Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office
1421 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102-1507
Phone: 215.686.8203

Program Locations:
Elaine McCray
Juvenile Probation
4601 Market Street, Third Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19139

Darryl Coates
Philadelphia Antidrug Violence Network
2700 North 17th Street, Suite 200
Philadelphia, PA 19132

Robert Malvestuto
Adult Probation
1401 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102