2. We Needed A Change in Our Approach to the Issue of Violence in the Community

3. We Believed There Must be Better Ways to Solve our Problems
Questioning Whether We have Sufficiently Studied the Root Causes of Our Community Problems (including violence) in order to properly Arrive at Solutions

4. A recognition that Violence is Traumatic and has Consequences Across the Community

5. Any Change Required Broad Collaboration -Across Disciplines-

6. ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
African American
Concerned Clergy

7. As to Violence and the Perception of it in our Community:
THERE WAS A PROBLEM

8. 11 – homicides by firearm in 2014
Firearm Incidents 2014
Homicides
72 - People Shot
379 - Shots Fired
217 – Robberies
175 – Recovered Firearms
11 – homicides by firearm in 2014
16 – group or gang related homicides by firearm between and 2017

9. Shots Fired

10. A Realization that Less than 1% of the entire population in the city is involved in violent incidents.

11. IMPROVING OUR APPROACH TO ENFORCEMENT WAS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT

12. Partnering to Find Solutions and a More Comprehensive Approach

13. Communities That Care (CTC) Data Driven Prevention Model

14. Risk Factors Lead to Problem Behaviors

15. In order to Prevent kids from engaging in problem behaviors we needed to do TWO things:
Reduce the RISKS that lead to those problem behaviors
Expand the PROTECTIVE FACTORS that buffer them from Problem behaviors
THIS IS PREVENTION

16. PREVENTION IS A PRIORITY FROM A VIOLENCE REDUCTION STANDPOINT

17. WE ALSO NEEDED TO TACKLE CRIME FROM THE OTHER SIDE
TOO MANY PEOPLE COME OUT OF PRISON AFTER BEING SENTENCED FOR THEIR CRIMES ONLY TO RETURN TO PRISON AGAIN COMMITTING NEW CRIMES AFTER RETURNING HOME

18. REENTRY IS A PRIORITY FROM A VIOLENCE REDUCTION STANDPOINT

19. UnifiedErie: * Prevention * Enforcement * Reentry

20. HAS THE INITIATIVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL?

21. Comprehensive Prevention Strategy The Community Action Plan

22. PREVENTION
How do we keep our kids safe in Erie?

23. Erie County’s Initial Priorities for Prevention
RISK FACTORS
Family Conflict
Parental Attitudes Favorable toward Problem Behaviors
Community Disorganization
PROTECTIVE FACTORS
Community Opportunities for Prosocial Involvement
Community Rewards for Prosocial Involvement
Religiosity

24. Prevention Mini Grant Program & Good Neighbor Awards
Things we’ve done:
Instituted Youth Work Awards- skills and recognition
Religiosity Team- sharing data that youth involved in organized religion does have a positive benefit
Increase awareness and access to programs we DO have that are evidence-based
Implemented new programming- PCIT (therapists working with the parents to effectively raise their own child)
NRO- rebuilding neighborhoods and generating grassroots, citizen involvement in communication, safety and maintenance of neighborhoods

25. Erie County’s Current Priorities for Prevention
RISK FACTORS
Family History of Antisocial Behaviors
Family Management Problems
Low Perceived Risk of Drug Use
PROTECTIVE FACTORS
Community Rewards for Prosocial Involvement
School Opportunities for Prosocial Involvement
Religiosity

26. ENFORCEMENT
How do we lead the way for positive change in Erie?

27. The Criminal Justice System is Complex
Erie Police Department
Juvenile Probation
Sheriff’s Department
Adult Probation
State Parole
State Police
Municipal Police
District Magistrates
County Courts
University Police
Federal Courts
FBI
ATF
County Prison
US Marshals
State Prisons
District Attorney’s Office
Federal Prisons
US Attorney’s Office
911 Center
County Detectives Bureau
Public Defenders Office

28. Enforcement Problem Oriented Policing Foot/Bike Patrols
Mobile Precinct
Fugitive Taskforce
Gun Crime Working Group
Chronic Violent Offenders
Enforcement
Erie City has

29. Focused Deterrence/Group Violence Reduction Strategy
The Group Violence Intervention (GVI) reduces violent crime when community members join together with law enforcement and social service providers to focus an antiviolence message on highly active street groups.
Swift & Certain Consequences
Developed by the National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College
Sincere offer of supports

30. Chronic Violent & Violent Offenders
Identifying Networks
Tier 2 Associates
Tier 1 Associates
Chronic Violent & Violent Offenders

31. Creating Networks through Edge Files
18 month nearly 90,000 incidents
Edge file created by hand- no software to do it= excel file converted to an edge file
Free Pajek software- Pajek means “spider”
Software used in understanding all kinds of relationships (primarily used in health field in understanding disease transmission).
Consider if an incident involved more than 2 people: a line for each co-relationship.

32. Creating Networks through Edge Files
Partitions are CLUSTERS
VECTORS are dots that increase in size

33. The Message to Call In Participants
Violence will no longer be tolerated.
A genuine offer of help is being made available.
The next group gets law enforcement focus.
We want to help.
SAFE, ALIVE, & OUT OF PRISON.
Speakers
Moral Voice, Civic Leader, Police Chief, Prosecutor State and Federal, Former Offender, Impact of Violence Voice, Social Service Advocate

34. RE-ENTRY
How can we assist those caught in the revolving door?

35. RE-ENTRY
90-95% of individuals who are incarcerated WILL return to the community
Of those returning to the community, 58% will commit NEW CRIMES & 41% will RETURN TO INCARCERATION
The cost of community based supervision and supports is less than ONE FOURTH the cost of incarceration
PA spends over $3 billion on prisons annually – roughly 8% of entire PA State Budget vs 5% that goes towards higher education)

36. Re-Entry Erie County Reentry Services & Support Alliance (ECRSSA)
Facilitated by:
ISSUES IDENTIFIED:
Transportation
Housing
Employment
Education/Job Training
MENTORING
Creation of the
Erie County Reentry Services & Support Alliance (ECRSSA)

37. Funded by:

38. Traditional Model of Providing Services to Transitioning Clients
Community Assets Available to Help
Available Network of Helpful Resources TC
Transitioning Client in Need of Support and Services

39. Community Assets Available to Help
ECRSSA Model Case Managers, Client Advocates and Mentors Guide TC to Services
Community Assets Available to Help TC CA CM M CM CA

40. Client Mentoring Tyshun Taylor, Client Advocate
Peer support to help with frustrations around re-entry & breaking out of a criminal lifestyle.
Understands incarceration from personal experience
Turned his life around after serving 11 years
Listens to and supports those that desire to get their life on track

41. Cost Benefit Information
Incarceration costs per day
Erie Co Prison                          $74
PA State Prison                     $117
Federal Prison                         $95
ECRSSA $12 per day

43. ECRSSA Impact Of the 130 clients served,
As of December 31, 2017:
Of the 130 clients served,
only 4 (3%) were known to have been
re-convicted and returned to prison.

44. The Overall Impact on Crime…

45. Erie City Firearms Incidents 2014-2017

47. USMS Fugitive Task Force
Now with full-time presence of USMS, PSP, Erie County District Attorney County Detectives & EPD
Arrests of Violent Felons (often chronic violent offenders)
Year
Fugitives Arrested
# of Warrants Cleared
2010 84 93
2011
103
205
2012
153
2013
148
187
2014
197
227
2015
160
218
2016
190
247
2017
163
192

48. NETWORK STRUCTURE IS DISBANNING
2015
Person
Connection
2017

49. The community benefits beyond public safety and lives save!

50. Economic Benefits of Reducing Violent Crime Medical Costs
Avg Cost Per Person*
% of Estimated Victims*
Erie Gunshot Victims 2014
N=72
Avg Cost 2014
Erie Gunshot Victims 2017
N=59
Avg Cost 2017
Treated in ER & released
$5,254
49% 35
$183,890 29
$152,366
Admitted to ER
$95,887
37% 27
$2,588,949 22
$2,109,514
Admitted & discharged to additional care facility
$179,565 8% 6
$1,077,390 5
$897,825
TOTAL COSTS
$3,850,229
$3,159,705
TOTAL SAVINGS in 2017
$690,524
Authors: Joseph V. Sakran and Joseph K. Canner of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, October 2017, Health Affairs

51. Economic Benefits of Reducing Violent Crime Housing Prices
Violent crime reduction is associated with increased property value
Center for American Progress, 2012 Report

52. Benefits of Reducing Violent Crime Crime Reduction is Part of Revitalization
New businesses seek locations that have good quality of life (recreation opportunities, education opportunities, health, low crime)

53. This Success Needs to be Sustained Long-Term if we truly want to Change our Community for the Better.