Looking Beyond Suppression: Community Strategies to Reduce Gang Violence

This edited book significantly contributes to the knowledge on how to address gang problems from a broad community perspective, which takes into account criminal justice agencies, social service providers, and community leaders, along with police, who have implemented collaborative anti-gang policies and practices. As community-wide efforts become more common, it is increasingly important to investigate effective strategies to address social problems. Beyond Suppression: Community Strategies to Reduce Gang Violence explores a demonstration project of one state’s efforts to reduce gang and youth violence through use of a comprehensive initiative, the Comprehensive Gang Model (CGM). The relevance of the CGM as a conceptual framework to guide gang policy and practice is illustrated throughout the book, and tailored gang reduction strategies derived from that framework and rooted in the ecological constitution of communities are showcased. The chapters highlight implementation strategies employed by various communities using a case study methodology that assists in garnering an in-depth perspective of implementation issues and key dimensions of the CGM. This book answers important questions about how communities operationalize the CGM. The results of these investigations are important for scholars, learners, and practitioners who seek to address gang violence using a customized response.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Introduction to Gang Reduction Responses Erika Gebo & Brenda J. Bond Chapter 2: Mobilizing Non-White Communities to Respond to Gangs Carolyn Boyes-Watson Chapter 3: Using Action Research to Support Strategic Thinking and Data-Driven Decision-Making in Gang and Youth Violence Prevention, Intervention, And Suppression in Worcester Laurie Ross & Ellen Foley Chapter 4: “Gang”: Developing a Collective Problem Definition and Assessment Instrument Erika Gebo & Kim Tobin Chapter 5: Street Outreach Workers: Innovative Approaches to Engaging At-Risk Youth Sean P. Varano & Russell Wolff Chapter 6: The Fundamental Challenges of Defining and Measuring Retaliatory Gang Violence Brenda J. Bond, Nicole Rivers-Kustanovitz, & Erin Mclaughlin Chapter 7: Preventing Serious Gang Violence in Boston: The Role of Strategic Problem Analysis in Guiding the Deployment of Enforcement, Social Services, and Community-Based Resources Anthony A. Braga & David M. Hureau Chapter 8: Statewide Impact of the Anti-Gang Initiative Jack Mcdevitt & Russell Wolff Chapter 9: Learning from Community Responses to Gangs Brenda J. Bond & Erika Gebo

About the Author :
Erika Gebo is assistant professor of sociology at Suffolk University. Brenda J. Bond is associate professor in the Department of Public Management at Suffolk University.

Review :
Looking Beyond Suppression is an important and much needed book. The chapters in this edited collection report on the results of a state-led effort in Massachusetts to address gang violence in several local communities, and describe the diverse efforts in six communities to use data driven, collaborative efforts to address gang violence. Gebo and Bond have done an excellent job providing a context for the separate site descriptions and the volume also includes a statewide evaluation of the implementation and outcome of the Comprehensive Gang Model. This book is a must read for practitioners, communities, and researchers who want to better understand the challenges and opportunities in responding to gang violence and may be involved in such efforts. This book tells the remarkable story of a multi-city initiative across 41 Massachusetts cities and towns to address street gang activity using the Comprehensive Gang Prevention, Intervention, and Suppression Model. It vividly details how neighborhood, community, and state organizations worked together to combat gangs in a collective and balanced manner. It is a must read for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers alike. First, every chapter in this book notes the dynamic nature of gangs. They are constantly changing in their composition and activities, and frequently in conflict-laden relationships with other gangs and authorities. In chapter 4, Erika Gebo relay one participating city’s effort in developing and implementing a gang assessment instrument (GAI) to gauge the level of risk for gang membership on a continuum from “at risk” to “hardcore” gang members. This exercise uncovered more divergence than expected in community stakeholders’ interpretation of instrument items and results