Youth Violence Reduction Partnership (YVRP)

Brief Description

The Youth Violence Reduction Partnership (YVRP)^Footnote1 – also known as the Philadelphia Youth Violence Reduction Partnership when it was the first initiative that was launched in 1999 by the Philadelphia youth-service agencies and criminal justice agencies – is a program involving members of street gangs in police precincts with the highest homicide rates among young people. The program aims to reduce violent crime – particularly homicide – committed by or against young people and to promote social reintegration.

This program is a result of the close partnership between various public agencies (i.e., police, probation) and community organizations (i.e., street workers, religious organizations) who work with the client group. Youth-serving organizations and criminal justice agencies collaborate to balance intensive supervision with comprehensive therapeutic support. Youth are provided with increased supervision to help them access important resources (i.e., employment, mentoring, school bonding, counselling, health care and drug treatment). The program also seeks to stabilize the families of participants through such efforts as jobs for parents and assistance finding housing.

The crime issues and risk factors addressed by the program are variable depending on the context in which it is implemented; for this program, youth gangs/gang-related activities have been addressed in certain implementation sites.

The approach is centered on community mobilization; community supervision and aftercare; conflict resolution; job employment; juvenile justice; parent training; and skills training.

Goals

The main goals of the YVRP are to:

• Reduce violent crime, particularly homicide committed by or against young people; and
• Reduce the number of delinquent youth at risk for developing long-term delinquency problems.

Clientele

The appropriate clientele for the YVRP is youth under the age of 24 who are involved in the criminal justice system or who are at risk of maintaining a criminal lifestyle. Clientele for this program can also be youth involved in gangs, or those at a high-risk of participating in gang-related activities.

Participants are referred to the program by public agencies (police, probation) and community organizations (street workers, religious organizations) that already work with at-risk youth.

To participate in the program, youth must reside within the targeted neighbourhood and must be at risk of committing a violent crime or becoming the victim of one.

Core Components

The YVRP consists of:

• Surveillance: Joint police-parole officer patrols maintain close surveillance of the youth’s activities to ensure that they obey the conditions of their release. This surveillance is meant to show youth that they are more likely to be punished for their crimes, and that any violation or breach of the conditions of their probation would be penalized; and
• Measures to facilitate social reintegration: Community outreach workers develop a meaningful rapport with the youth and guide them toward resources that would help them get off the streets. The YVRP provides participants with resources such as mentoring, healthcare, drug treatment, career counselling, and help finding employment. These community outreach workers also help the parents of the youth find jobs, housing, and healthcare.

Implementation Information

Some of the critical elements for the implementation of this program or initiative include the following:

• Organizational requirements: The lead organization must be willing to collaborate with criminal justice agencies and community organizations in order to enhance the surveillance of at-risk youth and divert them away from a criminal lifestyle.
• Partnerships: The YVRP is a result of the close partnership between public agencies (such as police, probation, court, agencies involved in behavioral health and substance abuse treatment) and community-based and other non-profits organizations (such as street workers and supervisors, job training and placement services). Non-profit organizations are a key part of any initiative like YVRP. The YVRP requires that the criminal justice system and law enforcement agencies agree on a common goal and collaborate to achieve it.
• Training and technical assistance: Staff must be trained in the YVRP approach.
• Risk assessment tools: For information about risk assessment tools used by various adaptations of the YVRP, consult the specific program descriptive sheets.
• Materials & resources: Limited information on this topic.

International Endorsements

The most recognized classification systems of evidence-based crime prevention programs have classified this program or initiative as follows:

• Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development: Not applicable.
• Crime Solutions/OJJDP Model Program Guide: Not applicable.
• SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices: Not applicable.
• Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy: Not applicable.

Gathering Canadian Knowledge

Canadian Implementation Sites

In total, from 2007 to 2020, 6 organizations will have been supported by Public Safety Canada’s National Crime Prevention Strategy to implement a program based on the YVRP. As of 2020, 1 organization is still implementing a program based on the YVRP.

For more information about these local adaptations, refer to the specific program description.^Footnote2

Programs are listed alphabetically:

• Winnipeg YGPF Projects - Just TV (Broadway Neighbourhood Community Centre) (Manitoba) (2007-2012) (process and outcome evaluation completed)
• Winnipeg YGPF Projects - West Central Youth Outreach (Spence Neighbourhood Association and West Central Women’s Resource Centre) (Manitoba) (2007-2011) (process and outcome evaluation completed)
• Northern Integration Initiative (Government of Saskatchewan – Ministry of Corrections, Public Safety and Policing) (Saskatchewan) (2015-2020) (process and outcome evaluation in progress)
• Positive Alternative to Youth Gangs (PAYG) (San Romanoway Revitalization Association) (Ontario) (2007-2011) (process and outcome evaluation completed)
• Programme de suivi intensif de Montréal – Gangs de rue (Centre jeunesse de Montréal – Institut universitaire) (Quebec) (2008-2011) (2011-2014) (process and outcome evaluation completed)
• Taking Action Against Gangs Scarborough (TAAGS) (Agincourt Community Services Association) (Ontario) (2013-2019) (performance monitoring and assessment in progress)

Main Findings from Canadian Outcome Evaluation Studies

For main findings pertaining to particular adaptations of the YVRP, consult the specific program descriptive sheets.

Cost Information

For the cost information pertaining to particular adaptations of the YVRP, consult the specific program descriptive sheets.

References

For references pertaining to particular adaptations of the YVRP, consult the specific program descriptive sheets.

For more information on this program, contact:

The organization that was responsible for the Philadelphia Youth Violence Reduction Partnership, the Public/Private Ventures (P/PV), has ceased its operation. As a result, for more information, the general contact is as follows:

National Gang Center

Institute for Intergovernmental Research

P.O. Box 12729

Tallahassee, Florida 32317

Telephone: (850) 385-0600

E-mail: information@nationalgangcenter.gov

Website: http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov