Using Intervention Mapping to Develop, Implement, and Evaluate a Community Engaged Crime Reduction Intervention

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community Psychology
• Criminology

Background:

• High rates of violent crime necessitate innovative prevention strategies.
• Community-based participatory research (CBPR) enhances intervention relevance and effectiveness.
• A socio-ecological approach addresses violence at multiple levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop, implement, and evaluate a community-codesigned, multi-level violence prevention initiative in Bessemer, Alabama.
• To address violent crime through a holistic intervention targeting individual, relational, community, and societal factors.
• To assess the feasibility and outcomes of community-driven violence prevention.

Main Methods:

• Intervention mapping was used to design the
• Building a Better Bessemer
• initiative.
• The program incorporated youth social-emotional learning, mentoring, parental support, police engagement, and community improvement.
• Evaluation utilized pre-post surveys and focus groups to gather quantitative and qualitative data.

Main Results:

• Youth reported significant improvements in social cohesion (p = 0.009).
• Significant decreases were observed in youth conduct problems (p < 0.001) and total difficulties (p < 0.003).
• Focus groups indicated strong community support for the program's content and delivery.

Conclusions:

• Community-driven, multi-level violence prevention initiatives are feasible and effective.
• The
• Building a Better Bessemer
• program demonstrated promising outcomes for youth behavior and community safety.
• Collaborative approaches are vital for successful violence reduction in high-crime communities.