Local Action Research Partner for the Shannon Community Safety Initiative
Led by: Megan Denver
Since 2019, Northeastern University has served as the Local Action Research Partner for the Boston Police Department (BPD) on the Shannon Community Safety Initiative, which is aimed at understanding the evolving nature of gangs and patterns of youth involvement in crime and violence in Boston. This Northeastern-led team provides strategic, analytic, and research support to Shannon partner organizations, and in this capacity will be conducting a targeted community needs assessment to describe the neighborhood aspects of Boston’s gang and youth violence problem. Specifically, the assessment includes: an analysis of official BPD data to identify neighborhoods characterized by high rates of violent crime and a documented gang presence; an analysis of community data from a variety of sources to assess the spatial distribution of the underlying structural and social conditions associated with Boston’s youth and gang violence problem; and an examination of youth violence prevention programming in Boston provided by social service providers supported by Shannon Community Safety Initiative funds.
Project team:
- Megan Denver (Northeastern University)
- Daniel Trovato (Northeastern University)
- Anthony Braga (University of Pennsylvania)
- Renée Contreras (University of Pennsylvania)
- Alexa Mason (University of Pennsylvania)
- Stephen Douglas (University of Pennsylvania)
Outside collaborators:
- University of Pennsylvania
- Boston Police Department
Project sponsor/grantor:
- Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, Office of Grants and Research
