Focused deterrence intervention to reduce serious violence: study protocol for a randomised trial

Area of Science:

• Criminology
• Public Health
• Law Enforcement

Background:

• Traditional policing methods targeting repeat offenders have proven ineffective in crime control.
• Focused deterrence (FD) strategies, integrating law enforcement, social services, and community action, show effectiveness in reducing crime.
• Limited randomized controlled trials (RCTs) exist for FD interventions, especially for repeat serious violence offenders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a focused deterrence intervention on crime harm and crime counts among repeat serious violence offenders.
• To address the limitations of current RCTs that primarily focus on crime counts, neglecting the varying harm of different crimes.

Main Methods:

• Individuals with 3+ serious violence offenses in the past 24 months were identified.
• Participants were randomly assigned to a treatment group receiving a focused deterrence intervention or a control group receiving usual care.
• The intervention involved a single police visit with an empathetic talk and resource list.
• Crime harm (Cambridge Crime Harm Index) and crime counts were measured for 12 months post-randomization.

Main Results:

• The study is registered (ISRCTN35233331) and ongoing; results are pending.
• Primary outcome: Total crime harm in the year following randomization.
• Secondary outcomes: Arrests for violent crime, total arrests, non-violent arrests, and time to first arrest.

Conclusions:

• This study will provide a comprehensive review of FD intervention impact by assessing both crime harm and counts.
• If effective, this light-touch FD intervention could be operationally appealing for police and communities aiming to reduce crime and harm.