BOSTON, Mass.– The Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) was awarded $64,000 in funding from the former Baker-Polito Administration through the Senator Charles E. Shannon, Jr. Community Safety Initiative (CSI) Grant Program. CSI invests resources to support regional and multi-disciplinary approaches to youth violence intervention, prevention, enforcement, prosecution, and reintegration services.
Aligned with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Comprehensive Gang Model, this initiative is designed to serve youth and emerging adults between the ages of ten and twenty-four who are living in a community identified as a hot-spot and are at risk or high risk for gang involvement.
For nearly two decades, CJI has served as the Local Action Research Partner (LARP) for the City of Fall River, providing technical, research, and other support to fifteen awarded community partners. To ensure fidelity to best practices in serving CSI’s target population, CJI uses a multi-pronged approach to evaluate case management practices, the appropriateness of programming based on the youth’s assessed risk and needs, and program outcomes.
“Partnership opportunities like this create an avenue to improving and enhancing how stakeholders engage with young people and one another. We are excited to serve as Fall River’s LARP and collaborate with community partners to create resources and positive outcomes for young people, their families, and the community,” said Jasmine Jackson, CJI’s Youth Justice Manager.