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David M. Kennedy Director Center for Crime Prevention and Control

Common Ground: Crime, Race, and Community The Third SIPR Annual Conference Communities and Policing: evidence and innovation in Scotland Sept. 1st, 2009. David M. Kennedy Director Center for Crime Prevention and Control John Jay College of Criminal Justice dakennedy@jjay.cuny.edu

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David M. Kennedy Director Center for Crime Prevention and Control

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  1. Common Ground: Crime, Race, and CommunityThe Third SIPR Annual ConferenceCommunities and Policing:evidence and innovation in ScotlandSept. 1st, 2009 David M. Kennedy Director Center for Crime Prevention and Control John Jay College of Criminal Justice dakennedy@jjay.cuny.edu 212 484-1323

  2. CIRV – Network Analysis of Street Sets

  3. GROUPS IN CINCINNATI HOMICIDES

  4. OVERALL: WHAT WE’VE LEARNED AND WHERE WE ARE • These strategies work • Chicago: 37% reduction in homicide • Boston: 50% reduction overall; 66% reduction in youth homicide • Many more: ~ 40% reductions now typical • Direct engagement: moral voice of the community, help, consequences • Hard work to establish and maintain • A work in progress

  5. OFFENDER IDEAS MATTER THE MOST • ~80 percent of violence, usually, not about business: beefs, boy/girl, respect • We’re really dealing with the street code • Disrespect requires violence • We’re not afraid of death or prison • We handle our own business • We’ve got each other’s back • We’re justified in what we do • Group dynamic, not about individuals: “pluralistic ignorance”

  6. COMMUNITY RACIAL NARRATIVES Unpopularity of even legitimate actions Real illegality and abuse Community narrative: conspiracy and deliberate oppression, the latest in a long history Community anger, suspicion, and silence misunderstood by law enforcement and offenders as tolerance for crime and violence

  7. ADDRESS KEY NORMS AND NARRATIVES In order for law enforcement and community to truly work together, mutual and toxic misunderstandings need to be explicitly addressed Police are not solving problem, are doing harm, are playing into racial stereotypes Community is not taking responsibility, is not setting standards, is playing into racial stereotypes

  8. THE MORAL VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY Clear, direct, community stand Most important step possible Respected local figures Parents Ministers, mothers, activists “Do you want your mother standing here?” “We need you, you’re better than this.” Offenders and ex-offenders “Shot any CIA agents lately?” “Who helped your mother last time you were locked up?” “Who thinks it’s OK for little kids to get shot?” Challenge the street code

  9. IDENTIFY “INFLUENTIALS” Who does the offender respect who will stand with us? Family Loved ones Community figures Ministers OGs

  10. CONSEQUENCES Group accountability for homicide: group dynamic, group sanction Last resort Explained ahead of time By any legal means: “pulling levers” Most serious sanctions on impact players Careful promise: sanction on next homicide; on most violent group Reversal of pro-violence peer pressure “Honorable exit”

  11. HELP IS A MORAL AND PRACTICAL OBLIGATION • Everyone who wants it deserves it • Some will take it • Changes moral narratives • Has to be honest • We will do everything we can • Limited resources and effectiveness don’t change the core fact that the violence is completely unacceptable • Teny Gross: “We don’t negotiate life”

  12. SET UP FACE-TO-FACE MEETING “Call in” via probation and parole Home visits Community meetings

  13. FACE-TO-FACE INTERVENTION Strong unified message from everybody: this has to stop. Community message in presence of “influentials”: the community needs this to stop Set and reinforce clear community standards Community much tougher than law enforcement Help is available: social services, nonprofits, churches, volunteers Law enforcement: if necessary, formal consequences certain

  14. CORE THEMES IN MESSAGE It has to stop. End of story. It’s wrong, it hurts, you’re better than this, you don’t like it, we don’t want to live like this any more Your community and loved ones need it to stop You are hugely important and valuable The ideas of the street code are wrong We will do everything we can to help you We will stop you if you make us None of us like how we have been living; we all want to change

  15. COMMON GROUND Everyone wants the community to be safe Everyone wants the most dangerous offenders controlled Everyone wants the chaos to stop (including many offenders) Everyone wants profligate enforcement to stop Everyone wants those who want help to get it Everyone’s miserable now and can change together

  16. MORE National Network for Safe Communities 30+ cities doing this work “Leadership Group”: Los Angeles, Boston, Milwaukee, Providence, Cincinnati, High Point, Long Beach Full implementation and institutionalization www.nnscommunities.org

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