NCJ Number
221743
Date Published
November 2003
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Through a review of homicide data from 1996 to 2001, this report presents a summary of the Weed and Seed site operations and outcomes relative to their host jurisdictions.
Abstract
Considering that an overriding goal of the national Weed and Seed strategy is to reduce violence in some of the Nation’s most crime-ridden neighborhoods, the Weed and Seed homicide results are clearly positive. The average number of homicides per Weed and Seed sites decreased by 34 percent between 1996 and 2001 (6.3 to 4.1 per site). In comparison, the host jurisdictions, during the same time period, experienced a 38 percent reduction in homicides. In this analysis, over one-third of the decrease for homicides in the host jurisdictions was due to decreased homicides in Weed and Seed areas. The challenge presented to the Executive Office for Weed and Seed (EOWS) and the Weed and Seed strategy is to make a demonstrable change in communities that may share few similarities beyond a high risk for crime. Despite similar overall goals, Weed and Seed sites and their host jurisdictions are operationally unique. Individual sites adopt different strategic approaches that are tailored to the communities’ unique social structures and crime patterns. The reporting on Weed and Seed site operations and outcomes is required under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). This report supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office for Weed and Seed, reviews and compares homicide data for both Weed and Seed sites and host jurisdictions for the time period of 1996 to 2001. Charts, notes