Cross-Site Analysis of the Bureau of Justice Assistance Comprehensive Communities Program

• NCJ Number: 244347
• Author(s): George L. Kelling; Sandra K. Costello; Mona R. Hochberg; Ann Marie Rocheleau; Dennis P. Rosenbaum; Jeffrey A. Roth; Wesley G. Skogan; William H. Sousa
• Date Published: November 1999
• Length: 248 pages
• Grant Number(s): 94-IJ-CX-0065; 96-DD-BX-0098
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Evaluation

Annotation

Findings and methodology are presented for a cross-site analysis of the Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance's (BJA's) Comprehensive Communities Program (CCP), which was initiated in 1994 for the purpose of controlling crime and improving the quality of community life, with attention to gangs and youth violence.

Abstract

The strategy for achieving this purpose is based in structured partnerships and collaborations among public and private agencies. Specifically, the CCP aims to integrate the work of criminal justice and juvenile justice agencies with community-based social and economic programs that improve the quality of life of residents and neighborhoods, so as to prevent and counter crime by reducing the criminogenic conditions of family and community life. This cross-site analysis of CCP efforts had four key findings. First, the integration of police, criminal justice agencies, and other public and private agencies exceeded expectations. Second, inclusion in such efforts was not always a smooth or simple process for organizations or groups; for example, some indigenous grass-roots organizations risked being accused of abandoning their "cutting-edge reforms of public agencies." Third, neighborhoods and communities have been taken seriously, meaning that neighborhoods and communities are being viewed as the basic units for identifying and addressing problems and working for solutions. Fourth, many of the CCP program activities had a history in their respective communities, meaning that CCP funds have extended, fueled, and strengthened communities' efforts to improve their quality of life. An important source of data for this evaluation was a self-administered survey of key participants in the CCP program in each of the initial 12 sites. In order to capture the level of involvement in community policing at each site, a questionnaire was administered at each police department. Visits were conducted at each site. 17 tables, 13 figures, 30 references, and appended data from the coalition and community policing surveys