Oct 2024

Building safer communities: Behavioral science innovations in youth violence prevention

This policy brief highlights results from a large-scale randomized controlled trial that evaluated the impact of Choose to Change® (C2C®) on participants’ criminal justice involvement.

Abstract

New insights from the field of behavioral science open new doors for addressing a seemingly intractable, and uniquely American, public health crisis: gun violence. This brief presents results from a study of the Chicago-based Choose to Change® (C2C®) program, a partnership between non-profits Brightpoint and Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP)™. The data show that it is possible to create large and lasting reductions in violent-crime arrests among a program population that has historically been hard to reach: youth who are increasingly disconnected from school. If gun violence = guns + violence, then anything that reduces the prevalence of violence overall can be an important part of the solution to solving gun violence.

Related Resources
Choose to Change® (C2C®) Program Guide
Resource Guide

Choose to Change® (C2C®) Program Guide

Oct 2024

This program guide is intended for community-based organizations working to fill gaps in services and reach an underserved population of youth impacted by violence and trauma.

Unpacking the Impacts of a Youth Behavioral Health Intervention: Experimental Evidence from Chicago
Academic Paper

Unpacking the Impacts of a Youth Behavioral Health Intervention: Experimental Evidence from Chicago

Oct 2024

This working paper details results from a study of Choose to Change® (C2C®), a trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy and intensive mentoring program developed by nonprofits Brightpoint and Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP).

Improving Programming in Juvenile Detention: The Impact of Project Safe Neighborhoods Youth Outreach Forums
Academic Paper

Improving Programming in Juvenile Detention: The Impact of Project Safe Neighborhoods Youth Outreach Forums

May 2024

This paper presents the results of a randomized controlled trial of a youth outreach forums program run in the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center (JTDC) by the Northern Illinois Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force.

B2OF Policy Brief: Supporting Youth Safety and Education Re-Engagement
Report

B2OF Policy Brief: Supporting Youth Safety and Education Re-Engagement

Dec 2023

This policy brief outlines the first year of implementation of Back to Our Future (B2OF), a state-funded, district-led, evidence-informed effort to re-engage disconnected students at an elevated risk for gun violence involvement.

Latest Updates

An Untapped Lever to Create Safer Communities
Op-Ed
Police Chief Magazine
Nov 2024

An Untapped Lever to Create Safer Communities

Policing Leadership Academy Director of Outreach and Engagement Kenneth E. Corey and Executive Director Meredith Stricker provide commentary in Police Chief Magazine that highlights the program’s partnerships with police departments nationwide to implement a data-driven policing management strategy.

Crime Lab Names New Director
Media Mention
Hyde Park Herald
Oct 2024

Crime Lab Names New Director

Zoe Pharo of the Hyde Park Herald reports on the announcement of Katie Hill as the new Executive Director of the Crime Lab.

Improving storytelling through data
Q&A
UChicago Crime Lab
Oct 2024

Improving storytelling through data

Learn more about Alivia’s experience in the Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy.