Violence mitigation program shows first-year potential

PHOTO | TROY HULL

The Alternatives to Violence collaboration along the Beatties Ford Road corridor showed promise in its first year of implementation according to research conducted by UNC Charlotte.

The first year of an outreach program to reduce firearm violence along the Beatties Ford Road corridor is showing promise, according to a city evaluation.

An assessment of the Alternatives to Violence collaboration between the city of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and Youth Advocate Programs was prepared by the Urban Institute at UNC Charlotte. The research collected data and offered recommendations for sustained violence prevention going forward. The program, which disrupts violence through mediation and retaliation prevention, was initiated in response to a 45% spike in firearm-related violence in 2019 and 2020.

In 2021, the year ATV launched, there were 183 violent crimes in the Beatties Ford community – 37% of offenders and 30% of victims were 24 years old or younger. ATV initiated community-based programming the next year by targeting young adults between ages 14-25 – people who are most at risk of being victims and perpetrators of violence.  

“Collaboration across sectors is critical to addressing violence in our communities and understanding the impact of our efforts,” said Julia Martin, special assistant to Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones. “The initial results of the evaluation are promising, and we are excited about the continuation of this program.”

Although the initial results showed positive results, evaluators cautioned it premature to determine whether the findings are conclusive due to the relatively short time frame of the program’s effects. A report that details longer-term outcomes will be published following the third year.

The initiative, guided by a public health model for preventing firearm violence called Cure Violence Global, identifies and changes behaviors of people at risk of being involved with violence.  

Evaluators gathered and studied data from crime records, ATV administrative records, interviews with ATV staff and a program administrator focus group. The program database reported 1,500 hours canvassing the Beatties Ford Road community and 44 violence interruptions.  

ATV staff had 44 mediations from August 2021 to August 2022 with 13 successful deescalations compared to 31 that escalated to some form of violence.

Interviews with ATV staff found participants showed behaviors like higher academic achievement and educational aspirations that help them avoid violent confrontations.

“Investing in prevention strategies that foster supportive relationships, promote educational achievement and cultivate strong social skills and competencies is beneficial for youth,” Urban Institute research associate Angelique Gaines said.

The evaluators examined community outcomes to better understand how initiative interaction with residents might have impacted community violence outcomes.

Researchers studied aggravated assaults with and without a firearm, nonfatal gunshot wounds, homicides with a firearm and violent crimes. They found Beatties Ford Road had fewer firearm-related homicides compared to similar communities in the first year. There were no significant trends for other types of crime analyzed.

Evaluators offered recommendations for improving the initiative:

• Supporting staff suggestions for building community trust.

• Address risk factors for violence the initiative is unable to address alone.

• Improve data entry into the program database.

• Determine whether at-risk people in the neighborhood are properly identified.

• Consider longer periods of initial assessment and funding.

“Beyond the scope of this program, it will be important for the broader community to continue to invest in historically disinvested communities like Beatties Ford to support sustained violence prevention,” said Rachel Jackson-Gordon, the Urban Institute’s research associate.

“We hope the work of the ATV program combined with broader city and county initiatives will foster community safety so that residents can thrive in their neighborhoods.”

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