No COLORS: 100 Ways To Stop Gangs From Taking Away Our Communities
"No community wants to admit it has a gang problem. Yet that denial and the unwillingness to address youth violence as a community problem will have tragic consequences."
"Nearly Every Community in America has Issues Related to Violence.
We have solutions."
- Front Cover
- Table of Contents
- The Mayor’s Task Force
- Executive Summary
- Benchmark Research
- Proposed Budget Estimate
- Community Partners
- Strategic Plan Overview
- The Pier Model
- Prevention
- Intervention
- Enforcement
- Reentry
- Funding and Sustainability of the P.I.E.R. Model
- Coordination of the P.I.E.R. Strategic Plan
- P.I.E.R. Strategy - Next Steps
- Appendices
- Contact Information
Strategic Plan to Reduce Young Adult Violence and Gangs in Newport News, Virginia: P.I.E.R. Strategy
THE P.I.E.R. MODEL
P.I.E.R. is an acronym that stands for Prevention, Intervention, Enforcement and Reentry. This strategy was first published in an article Bobby Kipper published for the International Association of Chiefs of Police in State Association of Chiefs of Police (SACOP) in November of 2007.
Each area of the strategy must be closely examined by community stakeholders to identify risk factors, gaps in service, and strategies to address the issues.
In Newport News, the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Youth and Young Adult Violence was organized to provide oversight and suggestions that will now make up the community’s strategic plan. In addition, the Operational Council conducted separate meetings to make specific recommendations contained in the plan.
The Operational Council is made up of community partners, educators, citizens, business leaders, elected officials and the faith-based community. This working group represents a comprehensive, community-based structure outside of the command and control of city government. The individuals selected to serve on the Operational Council are “boots on the ground” professionals with a proven track record for direct service delivery experience within the community. These individuals go beyond the decision-making process to the ground level implementation process of citizen outreach and service delivery. The Operational Council has been divided into four operational strategic subcommittees:
- Prevention – This subcommittee recommends proven strategies for preventing youth (birth through young adulthood) from becoming involved in violent behavior and gangs. Such strategies should utilize existing non-profit programming at organizations including, but not limited to, Healthy Families, Alternatives, Girls Inc., the Boys & Girls Clubs, and youth sports leagues; the local public and private schools; and the faith-based community.
- Intervention – This subcommittee recommends proven strategies for intervening in the lives of young people who are at risk of becoming involved in crime or are already involved with the criminal justice system. Street outreach through community and faith-based organizations and parents supplements partnerships among public agencies that make well-integrated services available to the youth. Intervention efforts include job training and placement, recreation at safe locations, and mobilization of neighborhood residents and police in identifying community resources that serve youth.
- Enforcement – This subcommittee works with the public safety community to recommend proven strategies for reducing crime and gangs throughout the community. Police, probation personnel, prosecutors, and court services share information with the community about gang activity, diffuse crises that arise from gang conflict, and refer at-risk youth to community-based services. New roles for law enforcement officers in the prevention and intervention realms are encouraged.
- Reentry – This subcommittee recommends proven reentry strategies for helping young adults make a safe transition as they return from incarceration. The strategies include probation and parole services that focus on job training, placement, and employment retention; housing assistance; and other community-based services, as needed. They also create methods to encourage non-violent gang members to “re-enter” mainstream society.
The initial organizational meetings of the Advisory Council and Operational Council took place on Monday, November 8 and Tuesday, November 16, 2010. The subcommittees met for a period of 4 months November 2010 to February 2011 to identify risks factors, gaps in service and community best practices. This information has been compiled and provided in a final report to the Mayor’s Task Force for consideration and implementation.
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