Indianapolis launches youth violence reduction initiative
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Too many kids in Indianapolis are getting shot, but a pilot program focusing on the youth most at risk of causing or experiencing gun violence is showing early promise.
Why it matters: Gun violence has increased among young people this year, even though fatal and nonfatal shootings have declined overall.
The big picture: The number of fatal and nonfatal shootings has decreased across the city each of the last four years, from 925 shootings in 2021 to 519 last year.
- Officials credit the success to the Gun Violence Reduction Strategy, first launched in 2022 targeting 18- to 35-year-olds — the group responsible for most gun violence in the city.
Driving the news: The Youth Violence Reduction Initiative, launched Wednesday, will expand those strategies to include kids 17 and under, partnering with groups already working with at-risk youth.
- The Office of Public Health and Safety will spend about $100,000 on the work this year.
What they're saying: "This year is particularly concerning as it relates to our young people," Tanya Terry, chief of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, said.
- "We've seen a slight increase in the number of our youth that have been victims of nonfatal shootings this year and a slight increase in the number of our youth that are suspects in nonfatal shootings and homicides. That's a real concern for us."
Between the lines: Easy access to firearms and social media are contributing factors to the youth gun violence problem, said David Muhammad, executive director of the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform.
How it works: Muhammad explained that the majority of gun violence is perpetrated by a small pool of individuals who often have risk signs leading up to a violent incident.
- The city started working with the institute in 2021 to create its violence reduction plan, aiming to identify at-risk individuals and connect them with services before a shooting happens.
Zoom in: Since the pilot began last year, IMPD has identified and referred 39 young people to the program, which offers services such as school reengagement and credit recovery, individual and family therapy, mentoring and housing support.
- Nearly 60% of the kids referred have agreed to receive services from youth-serving partners like VOICES, New B.O.Y., Inner Beauty and Vantage Point.
"It's real easy to say the young people need to be fixed… but we're putting them right back in the same situations," said Kia Wright, executive director of VOICES.
- "So, part of our strategy is making sure we're equipping families to be able to handle behavior challenges and navigate the trauma that they have also experienced that has not been addressed."
- Success, she said, looks like kids who aren't involved in gun violence, who gain stability in and outside school and, eventually, thrive — kids who are doing well in school, preparing for productive post-secondary lives and not involved in any delinquent behavior.