Connecticut Project Safe Neighborhood's Violence Prevention Program

PSN-CT22 continues the approach to gun violence prevention that has been taken in CT since 2018.   While gun violence in our large cities continues to increase, PSN-CT has provide cities with resources for both equipment and prevention services, guided by PSN taskforce priorities and local needs.  The Justice Education Center, Inc., will continue to act as the fiduciary agent, and will coordinate the sub-grant solicitation process for a new round of resources aimed at providing local departments with the equipment, training and resources they need to do targeted enforcement, use technology effectively to identify and apprehend suspects, and to work with the community gang task force(s) to create a credible enforcement threat to group and gang members. Violence in Connecticut’s major cities, including Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Waterbury and New London is driven primarily by local, neighborhood groups who engage in gang activity, drug trafficking, robberies of rivals and related gun violence to facilitate that activity.  These groups often lack the formal structure of traditional, national gangs and are more likely to be based on associations forged over residing in particular sections of these cities and even particular major streets in these sections.  Much of the violence is often driven by disputes with rival groups in other sections of these cities over encroachment of territory for drug trafficking and what each group considers it’s “turf.”

In addressing the violence perpetrated by these criminal organizations in Connecticut’s cities, the USAO, and its federal, state and local partners employ principally two-pronged strategy focused on enforcement and outreach/prevention.   We expect that at least 30 percent of grant funds will facilitate these strategies.   CT PSN’s research partner, The Charter Oak Group, LLC (COG), facilitates a review of recent violent crime data and supports the collection of performance data on specific interventions, including outcomes associated with the use of police department equipment purchased with PSN funds, PSN funded community outreach, and PSN programming intended to reduce recidivism, encourage desistance from gun violence, and prevent provide an alternative path for those at-risk of gang involvement.  Such process and outcome performance measurement will also be reviewed by the PSN team on a quarterly or more frequent basis and will form the basis of the performance reports required under this grant.