• Center for Problem oriented policing

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Summary of Responses to Gun Violence Among Serious Young Offenders

The table below summarizes the responses to gun violence among serious young offenders, the mechanism by which they are intended to work, the conditions under which they ought to work best, and some factors you should consider before implementing a particular response. It is critical that you tailor responses to local circumstances, and that you can justify each response based on reliable analysis. In most cases, an effective strategy will involve implementing several different responses. Law enforcement responses alone are seldom effective in reducing or solving the problem.

Offender-Oriented Responses

General Requirements for a "Pulling Levers" Focused Deterrence Strategy

Response No.

ResponseHow It WorksWorks Best If...Considerations
1Enlisting community support Helps community members to view police enforcement actions as legitimate…police inform the community that gun violence is concentrated among groups of serious offenders, and that they will focus their efforts on themIndiscriminate, highly aggressive law enforcement can undermine community support
2Convening an interagency working groupCombines the resources of multiple agencies to address the problemgroup members' agencies coordinate their effortsThe group should include members from all relevant local, state, and federal criminal justice agencies; social services personnel should be included to offer offenders positive alternatives to their behavior
3Placing responsibility on the working group Holds the group accountable for strategy development and implementationthe group is explicitly charged with preventing incidentsThis requires that the group members have a proactive, rather than reactive, mindset
4Involving researchers Provides the working group with thorough and reliable dataresearchers provide both background and strategically practical information, and evaluate performanceResearchers' findings may be helpful to other jurisdiction
5Developing an effective communication strategy Warns potential offenders about the consequences of committing gun crimesthe message is direct and explicit, conveying clear cause and effectNonviolent gangs and groups should be informed of what is happening to violent ones, and why; probation and parole officers can require those under their supervision to attend forums, and social service providers and community members may be able to persuade gang members to do so
Key Elements of a "Pulling Levers" Focused Deterrence Strategy
Response No.ResponseHow It WorksWorks Best If...Considerations
6Targeting intervention Ensures that enforcement is focused on chronic offenderspolice can differentiate between formerly and currently active offendersPolice must avoid indiscriminately selecting gangs, groups, or individuals for intervention
7Sending the initial message Lets violent gangs and groups know that they are under close scrutinypolice immediately increase their presence and activities in areas frequented by the gangs and groupsSocial service providers and community members should let would-be offenders know they support the police, and offer help to those who want it
8Pulling all available enforcement levers Provides a variety of opportunities for criminal justice interventioninterventions are tailored to the targeted offenders' behaviorsIntervention should be harsh only to the extent necessary to stop gun crime
9Continuing communication Reinforces the anti-gun violence messagepolice make it clear to violent gangs and groups that they are focusing on them because of their involvement in gun crimePolice agencies should be creative in communicating with offenders (e.g., by conducting forums with them)
10Providing social services and opportunities Diverts offenders from a violent lifestyleconsequences for continued involvement in gun violence are severe enough to compel offenders to seek positive alternativesA variety of options should be available, such as substance abuse counseling, job skills training, etc.
Disarming Young Gun Offenders
Response No.ResponseHow It WorksWorks Best If...Considerations
11Searching for and seizing juveniles' guns Reduces the opportunities for gun violence by eliminating the meansthe affected community supports the initiative; parents/ guardians trust police and prosecutors to keep their word about criminal prosecution, and give signed consent to searches; and police base targeting on reliable intelligence about juveniles' gun involvementThis is promising, but it has not yet proved effective in reducing gun violence

Place-Oriented Responses Pl

General Requirements for a Place-Oriented Enforcement Strategy
Response No.ResponseHow It WorksWorks Best If...Considerations
12Enlisting community support Helps community members to view police enforcement actions as legitimatepolice managers meet with community members both before and during interventions, and demonstrate effective leadership and supervisionCommunities with high rates of gun violence tend to support police intervention
13Training officers in appropriate search-and-seizure techniques Ensures that officers conduct only legally warranted searches and seizuresofficers treat those they stop with respect, and explain the reasons for stopsStreet searches of young male minorities may be viewed as police harassment
Key Elements of a Place-Oriented Enforcement Strategy
14Increasing gun seizures Reduces the opportunities for gun violence by eliminating the meanspolice focus on high-risk places at high-risk timesResearch has shown that, in some cases, increases in gun seizures in targeted areas have resulted in decreases in gun crime there
15Increasing contacts with potential gun offenders Subjects would-be offenders to increased police scrutinypolice increase their visibility and contact with likely offenders within very small areasBoth traffic stops and "stop and talk" contacts may be effective
Responses With Limited Effectiveness
16Suppressing gangs without providing programs and services to address the social conditions that contribute to gang affiliation. Reduces gun violence by identifying, tracking, and aggressively enforcing laws against known violent gang memberswhen based on a thorough understanding of the nature of gangs and gang violence problems in local jurisdictions and blended with social intervention, opportunity provision, and community mobilization activitiesGangs and gang problems usually remain in the wake of these intensive operations; suppression programs may have the perverse effect of strengthening gang solidarity; gangs do not consider police threats to eliminate them credible; social intervention and prevention efforts are necessary complements to suppression efforts
17Implementing gun buyback programs Reduces the availability of guns that may be used in violent crimes by reducing the overall number of guns in the communityThis has not proved effective in reducing gun violence—it fails to focus on the guns most likely to be used in violent crimes
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