City of Philadelphia's Group Violence Intervention Program Expansion

The City of Philadelphia proposes to implement the Group Violence Intervention Program Expansion, which will expand the existing Group Violence Intervention (GVI) gun violence reduction strategy to serve juveniles ages 12 to 18 years through case management, mediation, service coordination, and other supportive services. GVI teaches that violence is not the answer and interrupts cycles of retaliation through meaningful messages for peace. The GVI Juvenile Team (GVIJT) project activities include adapting existing assessment and intake procedures to align with juveniles, hiring a team of caseworkers, utilizing data and network analysis to target outreach to juveniles most at risk of gun violence involvement, and enrolling juveniles in the strategy. The GVIJT is comprised of a GVIJT Coordinator, three GVIJT Case Managers, and one GVIJT Peer Retention Specialist. The GVIJT Case Managers will serve an average of 10 clients each. Clients will receive direct engagement through large call-in meetings (during which a panel of speakers shares the message that violence must stop), community outreach, and law enforcement intervention if violence continues. As juveniles reach age 18, they will transition to adult GVI as long as they are not under supervision. During the planning phase, risk factors will be identified to adapt the existing GVI screening and eligibility criteria to target at risk juveniles. These may include group-involved family members, online gang association, and prior victimization. Outcomes align with adult GVI's model fidelity to include reduced group-related violence, reduced recidivism, and reduced victimization for juveniles ages 12-18 within Philadelphia.