OJJDP’s Partnerships To Reduce Juvenile Gun Violence Program

In 1997, as part of its commitment to address the continuing problem of juvenile gun violence, OJJDP awarded community demonstration grants to three cities—Baton Rouge, LA; Oakland, CA; and Syracuse, NY—to implement its Partnerships To Reduce Juvenile Gun Violence Program. These communities were asked to build extended partnerships to address risk factors associated with juvenile gun violence, including the carrying of illegal guns. The partnerships were established to develop comprehensive and effective juvenile gun violence reduction programs by enhancing and coordinating prevention, intervention, and suppression strategies and by strengthening linkages between community residents, law enforcement, and the juvenile justice system.

The problem-solving approach of the Partnerships To Reduce Juvenile Gun Violence Program recognizes that local community assessment of juvenile gun violence problems should guide program development and that strategies designed to reduce gun violence should be comprehensive and theory driven and should include prevention, intervention, and suppression components. The Partnerships Program goals include reducing youth access to illegal guns, reducing the incidence of juveniles illegally carrying guns and committing gun-related crimes, increasing community participation in addressing gun violence, and coordinating juvenile justice and social services for youth at risk for gun violence.

Each of the Partnerships Program communities is implementing several linked youth gun violence reduction strategies:

• A firearm suppression strategy to reduce juvenile access to and carrying of illegal guns.

• A juvenile justice strategy to use appropriate sanctions and intervention services for juvenile gun offenders.

• A positive opportunities strategy, involving components such as academic tutoring, mentoring, job training and placement, and afterschool programs.

• A public information strategy to communicate to juveniles, families, and community residents the dangers and consequences of gun carrying and use.

• A community mobilization strategy to engage neighborhood residents, parents, and youth in addressing community risk factors associated with gun violence.

A national cross-site evaluation assessing the various strategies developed by the Partnerships Program communities is being conducted for OJJDP by COSMOS Corporation and will be reported at a later date.

The Baton Rouge Partnership

The Baton Rouge Partnership is an example of how communities have developed and implemented their partnership programs. The number of juveniles arrested annually in East Baton Rouge increased 61 percent from 1992 to 1996. One-fourth of the juveniles arrested in 1996 were involved in multiple violent crimes. More than 90 percent of all homicides involving a juvenile were committed with a handgun. Further analysis revealed that a large percentage of these gun-related crimes were being committed in a relatively small area of the city.

With the Mayor’s Office serving as lead, the Baton Rouge program built a partnership structure that includes local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies; the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the East Baton Rouge District Attorney, the courts, and juvenile and adult probation agencies; public and private service providers; the faith community; and community grassroots organizations. The Baton Rouge Partnership consists of task forces that focus on enforcement (suppression), intervention, prevention, and grassroots mobilization.

The Partnership monitors the tracing and seizure of crime guns by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Baton Rouge Police Department and also reviews Brady Bill background checks of residents applying for gun permits. The Partnership uses this information to identify juvenile and young adult gun offenders and also to provide local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies with information on gun applicants who have felony records or who are known associates of individuals with felony records. A Judicial Advisory Committee, composed of the District Attorney and juvenile court judges, also advises the Partnership on justice system reforms and on available residential and nonresidential treatment services. The Partnership also has played an integral role in the formation of ACT NOW, a grassroots organization that links a diverse array of 54 community and faith leaders to respond to violence in their neighborhoods and to work with the Partnership’s target population and families. One of the programs developed by the Partnership to address the needs of the target population was Operation Eiger, a comprehensive program that links juvenile gun violence suppression, intervention, and prevention strategies. The structure, activities, and outcomes of Operation Eiger are described below.

Baton Rouge’s Operation Eiger: Linked Strategies To Address Juveniles at Risk for Gun Violence The Baton Rouge Partnership developed Operation Eiger, a comprehensive set of problem-solving strategies that link the resources of the juvenile justice system, law enforcement, public and private service providers, and community grassroots organizations (see figure). The Partnership designated juveniles and young adults on probation for a gun-related offense as “Eigers.” (Eiger is a mountain in Switzerland reported to be one of the world’s most difficult to climb.) The Partnership’s case coordinator records conditions of probation imposed by the juvenile court on juveniles identified as Eigers. The juveniles are placed on a contact list for the Eiger police-probation teams, composed of specially trained police and probation officers. These teams conduct unscheduled evening visits to each Eiger’s home an average of six times per month. During the visits, the teams check for compliance with conditions of probation and assess the youth’s needs and family situation. The juvenile court enhances the effectiveness of the process by setting enforceable conditions of probation to help Eiger youth and family members address risk factors associated with the youth’s violent behaviors. Such conditions might pertain to curfews, school attendance, possession of illegal guns or other weapons, association with delinquent peers, and abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Through a zero tolerance policy, the court imposes sanctions on Eigers who violate conditions of probation or commit new offenses. Sanctions can include jail sentences. The Police Department’s Operation Takedown, a drug trafficking enforcement program, also identifies any violations committed by Eigers and reports the violations to the court and the Partnership. Police and other Partnership participants bring needs of Eiger youth to the attention of the Partnership’s case coordinator, who develops and oversees an individual case plan for each Eiger. (The case plan remains in effect even when the juvenile leaves the Eiger program or is no longer on probation.) A three-pronged service program for the Eigers includes the following strategies: Provide intensive intervention services to address substance abuse, anger management, academic failure, and unemployment. A primary component of the intervention strategy is the Life Skills Academy, which addresses character strengthening and parenting skills for Eigers, their siblings, and their parents. Held in participating churches in target areas, the Academy covers 12 skill areas over a 22-week period; involves 20 grassroots leaders as speakers, mentors, and tutors; and offers direct access to a wide variety of social services and recreational programs either operated or coordinated by the Baton Rouge Partnership. Strengthen Eigers’ families by helping resolve intrafamily and interfamily disputes and by addressing alcohol and drug abuse problems. Parents of Eiger youth may be referred to family counseling and other family management services, if needed. Siblings also can be referred to myriad prevention services coordinated by the Partnership. Build resiliency in the community by addressing risk factors associated with gun violence. These community-strengthening initiatives include efforts to reduce neighborhood deterioration, promote activities that increase community cohesion, and address factors that contribute to economic deprivation. The Partnership tracks the Eigers as they complete the terms of their probation and records their progress while they are receiving social services. The results of this monitoring activity are used to refine and modify the Partnership’s comprehensive plan. During Operation Eiger’s first 22 months, 304 juveniles were identified and police-probation teams conducted 9,600 home visits. The percentage of contacts for which probation violations were reported decreased from 44 percent when the program began in September 1997 to 26 percent in December 1999. In addition, preliminary results show that gun-related homicides as a percentage of all homicides in the program’s target area decreased from 91 percent in 1996 to 63 percent in 1999 (Sheppard, 1999). Although Federal funding for Operation Eiger has terminated, the program continues through funding from the City of Baton Rouge. For more information on the program, contact Ms. Yvonne Day, Baton Rouge Partnerships for Prevention, 222 St. Louis Street, Room 936, Baton Rouge, LA 70802; phone 225–389–7871. Baton Rouge Operation Eiger’s Linked Strategies

Gun Use by Male Juveniles: Research and Prevention	Juvenile Justice Bulletin • July 2001