Youth Violence Prevention through Environmental Design

描述(申请人提供)：抽象暴力犯罪在密歇根州弗林特是一个长期存在的问题，远远超过密歇根州和全国的谋杀、强奸、抢劫和严重袭击的比率(联邦调查局，2012年)。尽管弗林特面临经济和社会挑战，但该市也受益于为社区变革提供坚实基础的资产。我们建议研究通过环境设计预防犯罪(CPTED)在弗林特选定的一个地区-大学大道走廊(UAC)-对青少年暴力的影响。大学大道走廊联盟(UACC)是一个由社区组织组成的联盟，成立于2012年，其使命是实施CPTED活动，以解决枯萎病和犯罪热点问题，改善社区健康和安全，稳定土地使用，建立休闲和娱乐区，并创建和改善该地区的通信连接和教育。成员-包括大学、社区团体、卫生和社会服务组织、当地企业、慈善团体、兄弟组织和执法部门-同意提供他们的资源，以解决该地区面临的关键问题，并支持彼此的倡议。拟议的评估设计利用了UAC和密歇根青少年暴力预防中心(MI-YVPC)干预区之间的重叠。MI-YVPC在弗林特2.3平方英里的区域内支持六个项目，并监测了距离YVPC/UAC干预区域1.6英里的比较区域。犯罪、伤害和财产评估数据由犯罪、伤害和财产评估中心收集，使我们能够在2012年联合反腐败委员会启动之前以及在拟议的项目期间为这些指标建立基线。我们将使用2X2设计对整个UACC工作进行结果评估。结果评估将采用准实验设计来评估四种条件的有效性：仅CPTED，CPTED加MI-YVPC干预，仅MI-YVPC干预，以及未实施任何干预的对照区域。我们将通过两种方式比较没有接受干预的社区：1)对暴力发生率和人口特征相似的社区进行比较分析；2)对所有人口普查区域的结果进行空间分析，以控制几个混淆的变量。研究结果将包括犯罪事件、袭击伤害、财产状况以及居民的看法和行为。我们将利用青年预防暴力委员会的专门知识和数据资源，开展一项研究，比较各种暴力预防干预措施的类型和强度。我们与UACC的合作既为解释评估结果提供了有用的信息，又确保了我们评估完成后该计划的可持续性和可扩展性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Abstract Violent crime is a persistent problem in Flint, Michigan, which far surpasses MI and national rates for murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assaults (FBI, 2012). Although Flint faces economic and social challenges, the city also benefits from assets that provide a firm foundation for community change. We propose to examine the effects of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) on youth violence in a selected area of Flint: the University Avenue Corridor (UAC). A coalition of community organizations, the University Avenue Corridor Coalition (UACC), formed in 2012 with a mission to implement CPTED activities to address blight and crime hotspots, improve neighborhood health and safety, stabilize land use, establish leisure and recreational areas, and create and improve communication links and education in the area. Members - including universities, neighborhood groups, health and social services organizations, local businesses, charitable groups, fraternal organizations, and law enforcement - agreed to offer their resources to address critical issues facing the area and support one another's initiatives. The proposed evaluation design capitalizes on an overlap between the UAC and intervention area of the Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center's (MI-YVPC). The MI-YVPC supports six programs in a 2.3 square mile area of Flint and has monitored a comparison area 1.6 miles from the YVPC/UAC intervention areas. Crime, injury, and property assessment data collected by MI- YVPC allow us to establish a baseline for these indicators prior to the initiation of the UACC in 2012, and during the proposed project. We will conduct an outcome evaluation of the entire UACC effort utilizing a 2X2 design. The outcome evaluation will employ a quasi-experimental design to assess the effectiveness of four conditions: CPTED only, CPTED plus MI-YVPC interventions, MI-YVPC interventions only, and a comparison area where neither intervention was implemented. We will compare neighborhoods that did not receive the interventions in two ways: 1) comparative analysis across neighborhoods with similar violence incidence and demographic characteristics; and 2) spatial analysis comparing outcomes across all census tracts controlling for several confounding variables. The study outcomes will include crime incidents, assault injuries, property conditions, and resident perceptions and behaviors. We will draw upon the expertise and data resources of the MI-YVPC to carry out a study that compares various types and intensities of violence prevention interventions. Our collaboration with the UACC both provides useful input for interpreting evaluation results, and ensures sustainability and scalability of the program after our evaluation is completed.