Searching Answers

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'National Institute oj Justice: i "National Institute of Justice ~ Searching or Answers Annual Evaluation Report Drugs and Crime 1993-1994 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~ Letter of Transmittal To the President, the Attorney General, and the Congress: Pursuant to Section 520 of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-690), I have the honor to transmit herewith Searching for Answers, the National Institute of Justice's Evaluation Report on Drugs and Crime for fiscal years 1993-1994. espectfully :mbmitted, ~N eem~ Di ector N ional Institute of Justice Washington, DC May 1995 SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS NCJRS SEP 113 1995 ANNUAL EVALUATION REPORT ON DRUGS AND CRIME: 1993-1994 A Report to the President, the Attorney General, and the Congress 155487 U.S. Department of Justice National Institute of Justice This document has been reproduced exactly as received from the person or organization originating it. Points of view or opinions stated in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the National Institute of Justice. Permission to reproduce this _ : .. material has been grpr&gfic Lornain/OJP /NIJ u. S. Department of Justice to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS). Further reproduction outside of the NCJRS system requires permission of the 4I/iIiIII88 owner. National Institute of Justice Jeremy Travis Director Report Editors Mary G. Graham Winifred Reed The grants described in this report are monitored by staff members of the National Institute of Justice, who provided invaluable assistance in the development of this report. The Institute also acknowledges with thanks the contributions of its grantees to this report. Editorial and production support was provided by Cygnus Corporation. ..• M~ssagefrol1l··th~·Nation~dlnstitllte··.otJus~ce/ ",' ' ••• ' •••• ',. ',:::. .. ' ~ '.:~. ,~. ~:-. ~ .,:., •••• : •••• \ .~ •• J. .... ". ":. '.,'. ','.:'•• '/,. ,; ur country faces enonnous challenges in controlling violence, crime, and drug abuse. One of the most compelling chal O lenges is building hope and confidence that something can be done. What better way to do this than by sharing knowledge that can help us replicate successful anti-crime and anti-drug programs. This fifth edition of Searching for Answers is one way in which the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) shares infonnation about which programs are working and what approaches appear ineffective. This report reflects NIJ's collaboration with the Bureau of Justice Assis tance (BJA), Office of Justice Programs. BJA provides funds and technical assistance to States and localities to develop practices that promise to work better; NIJ uses the tools of research and evaluation to document the lessons learned so programs can be refined and strengthened. Readers of this report will note certain changes from previous editions. To provide greater context for the findings of evaluations, which are the main focus of this document, an executive summary describes other relevant research project::; supported by NTJ. By virtue of the new Federal emphasis on and support for innovation in criminal justice, as provided for in the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, we anticipate that the Institute's next annual report will reflect the knowledge accumulating from a reinvigorated research and evaluation agenda for NIJ. Jeremy Travis Director 1 -'.; ..-, :.. ' ....: '. .: ',' •. " .. .- •....:' " ...•... ~ .. '. .' "., '. '... ~. " .'. :.': ',:' ': ~~l ~,~:, .'\. '...... ' ...;'.?:.' .... L'O'ontents . ,'" .''. '. ~ .., ': .'. .... .' ,' .. ': .', - ..... ~', : .", ~ f .". '.' •• • • ,;, ., i ..'~". '... :. ~. _ . .' .' • .. " .' '. ...... .:'. ~. ' . .f .. Message from the National Institute of Justice ........................................... i Executive Summary .................................................................................... v Introduction ............................................................................................. xix Chapter 1 Reducing the Risk of Violence for Youths ................................................. 1 Chapter 2 Reducing Family Violence ....................................................................... 19 Chapter 3 Focusing on Gangs .................................................................................... 31 Chapter 4 Treating and Preventing Drug Abuse ....................................................... 43 Chapter 5 Assessing Drug Control Strategies ........................................................... 63 Chapter 6 Policing Neighborhoods ........................................................................... 85 Chapter 7 Prosecuting and Adjudicating Cases ....................................................... 107 Chapter 8 Assessing Correctional Systems ............................................................. 121 Chapter 9 Looking to the Future ............................................................................. 145 Appendix: Fiscal Years 1992-1994 Evaluation Grants ............................................ 149 iii ------------------, ~•. -, _Execnti~e. Su~~ry·· •. '••.....•....• ':, ...• -:~ .....•....•.. "...•..•.•......•......••.••.••........• ; ...•..•.... ;.• :.: t rime and violence continue to be among the toughest chal lenges facing the Nation. Many communities are struggling C to maintain safety and security in the face of rising numbers of gun-related crimes, increasing drug abus~ and trafficking, and the In examining spread of predatory gangs. These threats are especially severe for young people, among whom deaths from firearms have escalated alarmingly. Homicide is now the leading cause of death for young innovative projects, African-American men; the homicide rate for all African-American men is 10 times that for Caucasian men. NI]analyzes all What new avenues lie open to criminal justice agencies and communi aspects of these ties as they work to contain violence and crime and to rescue young people from destructive influences? In this fifth edition of Searching efforts and then for Answers, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) reports on anti crime activities, efforts to prevent drug abuse, and system improve provides feedback ments being tried throughout the country. Evaluation results are " ~. presented that can further improve innovative approaches to making by communities safer. that can be used Important as it is, evaluation is just one aspect of NIJ's larger mission. policymakers; Research is an equally critical tool in searching for answers. Thus, this summary integrates findings from NIJ research that relate to the degisionmakers, evaluations discussed in detail in this report. program developers, Most of the evaluations reported here were developed and supported by NIJ, although some of the evaluations of State and local programs were commissioned by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). Both NIJ criminal justice and BJA are part of the Office of Justice Programs within the Depart ment of Justice, which works in partnership with States and localities professionals~ and to increase public safety and strengthen the justice system. others. In examining innovative projects, NIJ analyzes all aspects of these efforts and then provides feedback that can be used by policymakers, decisionmakers, program developers, criminal justice professionals, and others. The results, whether positive or negative, are equally valuable in helping determine what works and should be replicated and what should be modified and tested further. Objective, reliable evalua tions such as these are invaluable to communities striving to prevent and reduce crime and violence in their neighborhoods. As this report shows, anti-crime efforts today increasingly reflect integrated services and partnerships that involve all components of the CJ criminal justice system (enforcement, adjudication, and corrections), ( I t v ! I ---------------------------------1 other governmental agencies at all levels (local, State, and Federal), and community groups. This integration is essential because no single part of society, including law enforcement, can bring about the changes needed to reduce the level of crime, violence, and contributing factors such as illegal drug activity. Building multilayered strategies that begin to chip away at underlying problems and to restore hope requires commitment by all. This edition of Searching jor Answers reports on several criminal justice system innovations that apply the broader and more integrated ; Available evidence approach reflected in the 1994 Violent Crime Control Act, which was signed into law as this report was being prepared. Many of the projects suggests that commu reviewed in this report relate to key themes of the new legisiation, including community policing efforts, domestic violence, specialized nitypolicing helps courts, alternative sanctions, jail-based drug abuse treatment programs, and gang prevention and intervention activities. reduce levels of disor der, minor crime, and IMPLEMENTING COMMUNITY POLICING Community policing has evolved significantly in the past several years, in~ivilities that affect but some of its elements have been assessed more fully than others. The majority of evaluations of community policing have found positive quality of life. effects

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