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Washington, DC 20531
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Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice World Wide Web Site World Wide Web Site http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij Reducing Gun Violence
The Boston Gun Project’s Operation Ceasefire
Developing and Implementing Operation Ceasefire
David M. Kennedy Anthony A. Braga Anne M. Piehl
Measuring the Impact of Operation Ceasefire
Anthony A. Braga David M. Kennedy Anne M. Piehl Elin J. Waring
September 2001 NCJ 188741 National Institute of Justice
Sarah V. Hart Director
Lois Felson Mock Program Manager
Anthony A. Braga is a senior research associate in the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management of the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy, John F.Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and a visiting fellow at the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice.
David M. Kennedy is a senior researcher in the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management of Harvard University’s John F.Kennedy School of Government and was the director of the Boston Gun Project.
Anne Morrison Piehl is an associate professor of public policy in the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Elin J.Waring is an associate professor of sociology at Lehman College and the City University of New York Graduate School.
This research was sponsored by grant award number 94ÐIJÐCXÐ0056 from the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Findings and conclusions of the research are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The National Institute of Justice is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. The Boston Gun Project’s Operation Ceasefire
Foreword
his Research Report is part of the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ’s) Reducing Gun Violence publication series. Each report in the T series describes the implementation and effects of an individual, NIJ-funded, local-level program designed to reduce firearm-related violence in a particular U.S. city. Some studies received cofunding from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; one also received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Each report in the series describes in detail the problem targeted; the pro- gram designed to address it; the problems confronted in designing, imple- menting, and evaluating the effort; and the strategies adopted in responding to any obstacles encountered. Both successes and failures are discussed, and recommendations are made for future programs.
While the series includes impact evaluation components, it primarily high- lights implementation problems and issues that arose in designing, conduct- ing, and assessing the respective programs.
The Research Reports should be of particular value to anyone interested in adopting a strategic, data-driven, problem-solving approach to reducing gun violence and other crime and disorder problems in communities.
The series reports on firearm violence reduction programs in Boston, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Los Angeles,Atlanta, and Detroit.
iii The Boston Gun Project’s Operation Ceasefire
Contents
Foreword ...... iii
Introduction...... 1
Part I. Developing and Implementing Operation Ceasefire by David M. Kennedy,Anthony A. Braga, and Anne M. Piehl ...... 5 Youth Homicide in Boston ...... 5 Applying Problem-Oriented Policing...... 6 The Working Group and the State of the Art in Boston ...... 9 Proceedings of the Working Group ...... 14 Key Themes ...... 15 Unraveling the Nature of Youth Violence Through Research ...... 18 Bad Implications and Bad Times ...... 24 Designing Ceasefire ...... 28 Applying the Strategy...... 32 Effectiveness of the Strategy ...... 40 Reflections on Problem-Oriented Policing ...... 44 Conclusion ...... 49 Notes ...... 49
Part II. Measuring the Impact of Operation Ceasefire by Anthony A. Braga, David M. Kennedy,Anne M. Piehl, and Elin J.Waring ...... 55 Study Design ...... 55 Findings ...... 57 Discussion ...... 64 Notes ...... 67
v The Boston Gun Project’s Operation Ceasefire
Introduction
roblem-oriented policing holds great promise for creating strong responses to crime, fear, and public safety problems. It aspires to P unpack such problems and frame strategic responses using a variety of approaches. Through a process of problem identification, analysis, res- ponse, evaluation, and adjustment of the response, problem-oriented polic- ing has been effective against an array of crime, fear, and order concerns.
The Boston Gun Project was a problem-oriented policing initiative expressly aimed at taking on a serious, large-scale crime problem: homicide victimiza- tion among youths in Boston. Like many large cities in the United States, Boston experienced an epidemic of youth homicide between the late 1980s and early 1990s. Homicide among persons ages 24 and under increased by 230 percent—from 22 victims in 1987 to 73 victims in 1990—and remained high well after the peak of the epidemic. Boston experienced an average of 44 youth homicides per year between 1991 and 1995.
Sponsored by the National Institute of Justice and directed by David M. Kennedy,Anthony A. Braga, and Anne M. Piehl of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, the Gun Project involved—