In recent years, Tallahassee/Leon County has seen an increase in the number of homicides, aggravated batteries, and assaults involving the use of firearms. The FSU College of Criminology and Criminal Justice has partnered with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), with funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, to assess this problem and reduce violent gun crime in Leon County, Florida. Through this partnership, FSU is contributing to and documenting the various stages of developing a Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CBVIPI).

During the project's planning phase, FSU will determine the scope of the problem by analyzing the patterns and prevalence of violent crime in Leon County. FSU will collect information from various sources on violent crimes committed in Leon County/Tallahassee. This data will be used to 1) identify the types of individuals and communities most at risk for violence within Leon County, 2) explore how these risk factors differentially impact specific forms of violence (e.g., fatal vs. non-fatal shootings, domestic vs. non-domestic crimes, etc.), and 3) determine how violent crime in Leon County compares with other counties, similar counties.

Additionally, FSU will systematically review the scholarly literature and reports from other jurisdictions to identify and evaluate existing evidence-based violence intervention and prevention programs, including law enforcement-based, partnership-oriented, community-based, and youth-focused interventions. The literature review will describe 1) the nature of the programs, such as their target population(s), target outcome(s), and implementation processes, 2) the demographic characteristics of the intervention site(s), and 3) their effectiveness for reducing violent crime. 

Drawing on both the crime data analysis and review of evidence-based programs and interventions, FSU will identify and recommend appropriate evidence-based strategies for reducing violence in Leon County and recommend them to the planning committee.

During the implementation and evaluation phase of the project, FSU will evaluate the implementation of the selected program(s) to assess adherence to the intended program model(s). Throughout the process evaluation, as FSU identifies impediments to the planned program implementation and design, FSU will regularly communicate with participating organizations and team members to provide feedback and recommend modifications to overcome the identified impediments to ensure implementation fidelity. Additionally, FSU will conduct focus groups and interviews with various involved parties throughout the implementation and evaluation phase, providing regular feedback to participating groups to highlight successes, address barriers, and ensure adherence to program fidelity.

CONTACTS

Faculty:  Thomas Blomberg, Kimberly M. Davidson, and Emma E. Fridel

Graduate Students: Shayna Arrigo, Kaylee Noorman, and Chloe Zook

Funding Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance and Leon County

Dates: 2023-2025

Funding Amount: $357,815