Criminal Justice Professors Researching How to Reduce Youth Violence in Pine Bluff
A group of UA Little Rock criminal justice professors and students are participating in a long-term project to help the City of Pine Bluff reduce youth violence in their city.
The City of Pine Bluff is taking part in a program called Group Violence Intervention (GVI), a program that works behind the scenes to lower gun violence among youth and young adults. Criminal justice professors Tusty ten Bensel and David Tyler have joined the project to help research and evaluate GVI.
“For a number of years, Pine Bluff has been working to reduce gun violence associated with gangs,” ten Bensel said. “The key stakeholders have come together, and they have adopted the GVI model to reduce gun violence and gang association in the city.”
Pioneered by Operation Ceasefire in Boston during the 1990s, the GVI model seeks to reduce homicide and gun violence, minimize harm to communities by replacing enforcement with deterrence, and foster strong relationships between law enforcement and the people they serve.
“It is one of the most consistently effective interventions for reducing gun violence across jurisdictions,” Tyler said. “They are coordinating efforts between law enforcement, moral voices, and community organizations to present a unified message to people. It’s a very strong statement against violence. It’s paired with an intervention from people in the community who can reach the youth and pair them with services, so they have a way out of gangs and youth violence.”
By using the GVI strategy, Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr., who serves as chairman of the GVI Steering Committee, believes that Pine Bluff is addressing the immediate concerns of violence while laying the groundwork for long-term solutions.
“The research being conducted by the UA Little Rock team, in partnership with local law enforcement and community stakeholders, provides crucial insights that will guide our efforts and measure our progress,” Woods said. “It showcases a proactive approach to addressing youth violence and gang activity, emphasizing the importance of research, community involvement, and multidisciplinary efforts in tackling such complex issues.”
Judge Earnest Brown Jr., circuit judge for the Sixth Division of the 11th Judicial District West, said that the UA Little Rock criminal justice team members have been valued partners in Pine Bluff’s efforts to address violent crime for the past three years.
“They have attended our GVI Governance Board and Steering Committee meetings as well as Town Hall Meetings with our community,” Judge Brown said. “The expertise that Dr. Ten Bensel, Dr. Tyler, and their doctoral students have brought to the table have helped us to implement the GVI strategy with fidelity and measure where we were and where we are going. Words cannot express Pine Bluff GVI’s appreciation for the professionalism, support, encouragement, and man hours spent helping to change the narrative and trajectory on gun and gang violence in our community!”
The criminal justice team is working on a two-prong approach to the research project. First, they are working with Pine Bluff law enforcement officials to collect data on gun violence in Pine Bluff. Next, they will develop a survey for those individuals involved with youth violence and conduct interviews with people from schools and those involved in the juvenile justice system. Over the years, the professors will use this research to determine if there has been a change in youth violence and gang activity in Pine Bluff and whether it can be tied to the implementation of the GVI program.
“What I can say through my experience is that Pine Bluff is really concerned about the youth in their city,” ten Bensel said. “The passion and concern for the youth comes through in every meeting we have with them. We love working with practitioners in the field who are so dedicated to helping and improving their community.”
Assisting the professors in the GVI project is a group of criminal justice doctoral students participating in an advanced research methods class. The UA Little Rock students are conducting research and helping to write the surveys UA Little Rock will use to better understand youth violence and gangs in Pine Bluff. This type of real-world experience helps the doctoral students prepare for their future careers as researchers and professors.
“A lot of our students are actively involved in the project, and it’s a great opportunity for them to do more than just sit behind a desk,” Tyler said.
Dana Fachner, a doctoral student from Modesto, California, said that working on the GVI project has been an amazing opportunity to apply what she has been learning in the classroom to help the community solve ongoing issues.
“Dr. Tyler and Dr. ten Bensel’s willingness to include our research interests and questions in the youth survey is facilitating the development of my skills as a researcher,” Fachner said. “I am learning how to think critically about the issues of a local community, develop research questions that can provide insight into potential solutions, and conceptualize survey questions that measure the experiences of the community. This project will be helpful in my future career as I will be better prepared to lead these types of projects on my own, after having been mentored through the process.”
Sheriff Woods expressed gratitude for the professionalism, support, and dedication exhibited by the UA Little Rock team.
“Their contributions are invaluable as we work together to change the narrative and trajectory of gun and gang violence in our community,” Woods said. “I commend the doctoral students involved in this project for their active engagement and enthusiasm. Their contributions not only enrich their academic experiences but also serve as a testament to the transformative impact of community-based research. Together, we are building a stronger, more resilient Pine Bluff, where every individual has the opportunity to thrive free from the threat of violence.”
