In order to be safe and welcoming places for residents and families, Metro Boston’s urban communities must deal with the problem of youth violence, which disrupts the fabric of urban neighborhoods and contributes to negative perceptions about the safety of urban areas. Preventing youth violence will help at-risk youth to lead more productive and fulfilling lives and will allow more families to live in urban areas with less fear of random violence.
The problem of youth violence is large and complex. Youth violence can take many different forms in different places, and youth crime problems often are caused by several underlying factors, involve multiple groups, and occur in many locations. Overcoming this challenge will require concerted partnerships among public safety officials, community-based organizations, schools, the judicial system, and residents. Best practices for youth violence prevention include five components: social intervention, opportunity provision, suppression, community mobilization, and organizational change.
Many communities in Metro Boston are implementing these practices through funding from the Charles Shannon Community Safety Initiative Grant program. The Shannon Grant program was created in 2006 to support regional and multi-disciplinary approaches to combat gang violence. The program funds coordinated programs for prevention and intervention, including anti-gang task forces, targeted enforcement, focused prosecution efforts, and programs aimed at successful reintegration of released prisoners. The program also funds local action research partners and a statewide youth violence research center in Northeastern University. The statewide research center conducts assessment of the program, provides technical assistance to communities, and disseminates youth violence best practices. This initiative has demonstrated considerable success and should be sustained and expanded to more communities.
5.a The Legislature and Governor should fund the Charles Shannon Community Safety Initiative at progressively increasing levels