Bronx Osborne Gun Accountability Project

Osborne seeks funding for the Bronx-Osborne Gun Avoidance and Prevention Program (BOGAP), an evidence-based violence intervention and prevention program that is the result of 4+ years’ collaboration between Osborne and the Bronx District Attorney (BxDA). BOGAP serves people aged 16 to 30 who have open cases in the Bronx Supreme or Criminal Court for a first-time felony charge of loaded-gun possession and are mandated to BOGAP in a plea deal; participate pre-mandate as an ATD; or participate while an ATI is considered. BOGAP marks the first time a diversion program has been offered in the Bronx specifically to young adults facing this charge. It seeks to prevent and reduce community violence and crime, and to transform participants’ attitudes and beliefs, build knowledge and skills, and move them towards an adulthood characterized by safety, community investment, and legitimate employment. 

The year-long program includes 3 hours’ scheduled programming, 5 days a week, plus time for internships, hard-skills training, classes, and therapeutic support, adding up to a minimum 20 hours weekly. Strategies include case management, credible-messenger mentoring, Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, conflict resolution training, internships, transitional employment, and job placement. Accountability measures include monthly reports submitted to defense counsel, the Court and BxDA, and notification of BxDA within 2 days’ of no contact with a participant. Participants understand that dropping out of BOGAP means serving a prison sentence. Successful program completion means the case ends with no prison time and likely no felony conviction. 
The Bronx is experiencing a rise in homicides, shootings, and other violence at rates higher than anywhere in NY City or State. In the wake of Covid lockdowns, courts are grappling with a case backlog in the thousands. Due to multiple crises on Rikers Island, judges and prosecutors are reluctant to impose pretrial detention. While BOGAP is urgently needed, current funding only supports 25 participants annually. Osborne proposes to double the program’s size and to cooperate with an impact evaluation conducted by John Jay College, which has submitted a companion application under the NIJ solicitation, Evaluations of OJP CVIPI Programs, FY22. Osborne’s Director of Impact & Evaluation will work to facilitate the evaluation’s success. BOGAP’s current Working Group will expand through this funding and engage in events designed to build community support. Osborne seeks consideration under priority 1(A), as documented on page 10 of the proposal narrative, and under priority 1(B), as documented on page 13.