Review of Minneapolis's Youth Violence Prevention Initiative

• NCJ Number: 243308
• Author(s): Julie L. Whitman, M.S.W.
• Date Published: January 2010
• Length: 30 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2008-CK-WX-0460
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
• Corporate Author: National Ctr for Victims of Crime
• Sale Source: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
• Publication Format: Document; Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report describes a Minneapolis initiative for preventing and reducing violence by and against youth, highlighting its law enforcement innovations.

Abstract

Following a 2-year surge in violent youth-involved crime in Minneapolis, in November 2006, Mayor Rybak and the Minneapolis City Council adopted a resolution that endorsed a public-health approach to preventing youth violence, in conjunction with an innovative law enforcement strategy. A Youth Violence Prevention Steering Committee was established to develop a comprehensive multiyear plan for reducing youth violence and preventing future violence. The committee was composed of professionals from law enforcement, juvenile detention, public health, youth programs, education, social services, and city and county government. The committee developed the "Blueprint for Action: Preventing Youth Violence in Minneapolis." In keeping with the public-health model, the proposed plan laid out primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention goals. The goal of primary prevention is to ensure that every youth in Minneapolis receives support from at least one trusted adult in his/her family or community. Primary prevention on a broader scale recognizes that violence is learned and can be unlearned by reducing the impact of violent messages in media, culture, and entertainment. The goal for secondary prevention is to intervene at the first sign that youth and families are at-risk for or involved in violence. The goal for tertiary prevention is to ensure that youth who engage in violence receive appropriate treatment for building a positive future. On the law enforcement side, resources have been provided for investigating every violent offense by a juvenile; a multi-jurisdictional team that identifies and arrests juveniles with outstanding warrants; diversionary community supervision for low-level violent offenses; provision for curfew case management; and the placement of school resource officers to work in public schools. 11 resources for further reading