The gang violence reduction strategy, sometimes referred to as “Operation Ceasefire”, after its original implementation in Boston, is now a well-proven approach.  The evidence for the efficacy of this approach to reduce gang or group-related violence has accumulated over a decade and is extremely persuasive. 

The strategy is unusual, but based on common sense and practical experience.  Violence in troubled neighborhoods is caused predominantly by a remarkably small and active number of people locked in group dynamics on the street: gangs, drug crews, and the like.  The internal dynamics of these groups and the “honor” code of the street drive violence between groups and individuals.  The individuals that comprise these groups typically constitute less than 0.5 percent of a city’s population.

The strategy holds that violence can be dramatically reduced when community members and law enforcement join together to directly engage with these groups and clearly communicate:  (1) a credible, moral message against violence; (2) a credible law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence; and (3) a genuine offer of help for those who want it.  To do this, a partnership of law enforcement, social service providers, and community actors – parents, ministers, gang outreach workers, neighborhood associations, ex-offenders, and others – must be assembled and must engage in a sustained relationship with violent groups. 

The key moment in the strategy is a “call-in,” or “notification,” repeated as necessary: a face-to-face meeting between gang members and the partnership.   The partners deliver key messages to gang members:  that the violence is wrong and has to stop; that the community needs them alive and out of prison and with their loved ones; that help is available to all who would accept it; and that any future violence will be met with clear, predictable, and certain consequences. 

A substantial body of research in support of the efficacy of the group violence reduction strategy has been assembled over the past 15 years.  Please visit Research Findings for a list of Essential Readings as well as a Full Index for the research available to date.

Listen to National Network Co-Chair Director David Kennedy outline the strategy, its early success in Boston in the mid-1990s, and its roll-out to more than 50 cities across the United States.

 
With a strong governance structure in place to manage implementation of the group violence reduction
strategy, the city of Cincinnati (above) is one of the most advanced National Network jurisdictions and
a member of the Leadership Group. 

Photo: Ronny Salerno