A Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Project Safe Neighborhoods on Gun Violence in the United States

• In Event: Criminal Justice Response to Gun Violence: Programs, Policies, and Punishments

Abstract

Purpose: The Biden administration’s Department of Justice has allocated over $18 million towards Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) in order to address violence and gun crime. Established in 2001, PSN is a violence intervention, similar to focused deterrence, that seeks to reduce violent crime by identifying chronic offenders and deterring or incapacitating them through enhanced enforcement and/or social services. Although meta-analyses have been conducted on the effectiveness of other violence interventions, such as focused deterrence, none exist on PSN.
Design: As PSN has gained so much traction and funding, a meta-analysis is necessary to determine the overall efficacy of the program, and whether the effects are consistent across study sites, contexts, and crime environments. To do this, all studies evaluating the effect of PSN on violence and gun crime will be collected and evaluated using a meta-analytic approach.
Findings: As prior studies have demonstrated PSN’s moderate effect on violence and gun crime across cities, we anticipate moderate overall effects.
Summary: While PSN appears to be a promising intervention, the long-term and heterogeneous effects remain unknown, given the variability in program implementation. This study aims to fill these gaps and aid practitioners as they determine the best approach to reduce violent crime.

Authors

• Meghan Scott, University of Miami

• Bryanna Fox, University of South Florida