Inquiries and interest in training and technical assistance related to this project are welcome. Please see Contact Us for further information.

 

 

 

 

 

American Probation & Parole Association
and Project Safe Neighborhoods

Research has shown in excess of 50 percent of homicides in cities such as Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles involve gang-affiliated youth and young adults.1 Up to 90 percent of these homicides involve the use of firearms.2 Additionally, up to 80 percent of these homicide offenders and over 50 percent of their victims were under probation or parole supervision.3 Recognizing the continued prevalence of crime that permeates our local communities, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) implemented Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) in 2001 to address illegal firearm possession.4 In 2006 the DOJ expanded the scope of PSN to an anti-gang initiative. Using promising programs such as Boston’s Operation Ceasefire, Richmond’s Project Exile, and New York’s Compstat as its guide, PSN advocates for strong multi-agency collaborations that incorporate best practices in prevention, suppression, intervention, and reentry. Partnerships have often included agencies in law enforcement, prosecution, probation and parole, corrections, as well as community organizations such as universities, non-profits, and faith-based organizations.

The American Probation and Parole Association (APPA), an affiliate of the Council of State Governments (CSG), seeks to include and advance probation and parole involvement in the PSN anti-gun and -gang initiative through specialized training, technical assistance, publication, and dissemination of pertinent information to the community corrections field. In addition, the APPA offers training and technical assistance to other criminal justice agencies seeking to partner with their local community corrections agency(ies). This website offers valuable information pertinent to the PSN initiative. Please contact us if you desire more information or have any questions. Thank you for visiting.

Essential Reading

  • The APPA C.A.R.E. Model: Responding to Gang Violence in Reentry Planning, Part 1 & 2
  • Responding to gang violence: APPA’s C.A.R.E. model
  • Guns, Safety and Proactive Supervision: Involving Probation and Parole in Project Safe Neighborhoods.
  • History of Street Gangs in the United States
  • Project Safe Neighborhoods - A National Program to Reduce Gun Crime: Final Project Report
  • Responding to Gangs: Evaluation and Research
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    1 Braga, A. A., Pierce, G. L., McDevitt, J., Bond, B. J., & Cronin, S. (2008). The strategic prevention of gun violence among gang-involved offenders. Justice Quarterly, 25(1), 132-162.
    2 National Gang Intelligence Center (2009). National gang threat assessment (Product No. 2009-M0335-001). Washington, D.C.
    3 Bowman, C. (2005). Enhancing firearm interdiction strategies: Working with probation and parole. Firearms Interdiction: Technical Assistance Newsletter, 1(2), pp. 3, 6-7.
    4 McGarrell, E. F., Hipple, N. K., Corsaro, N., Bynum, T. S., Perez, H., Zimmerman, C. A., et al. (2009). Project Safe Neighborhoods: A national program to reduce gun crime. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University.