Community-Based Violence Intervention: What Makes a Messenger Credible?

• In Event: The Violence Intervention Workers Study: An In-Depth View of Street Outreach Professionals in Chicago and Beyond

Abstract

Within the context of the mixed evidence on the effectiveness of street outreach programs, much has been made of—yet little is known about—how the social identities of interventionists contribute to violence prevention. Specifically, leading programs such as Cure Violence have broadly extolled the benefits of employing “credible messengers” to deliver anti-violence services and messages to violence-impacted populations. Making use of the VIeWS survey instrument, we proceed by assuming that Chicago street outreach organizations have chosen to employ “credible messengers” (or interventionists with backgrounds and characteristics that resonate with those they serve) and descriptively analyze these characteristics. Among the mostly male (84%) and Black (80.9%) worker population, prior gang association and involvement in drug selling was commonplace: more than three-quarters (79%) had been gang-involved and over half (69%) reported selling illegal drugs in their past. Moreover, most respondents had prior justice system contact through arrest (91%) and/or incarceration (80%). These preliminary findings lend empirical support for the idea that outreach organizations have selected credible messengers, at least with respect to street involvement and criminal justice contact. We conclude by identifying less obvious worker characteristics that may make them “credible” and discuss implications for hiring and street outreach practice.

Authors

• Andrew Papachristos, Northwestern University

• Sino Esthappan, Northwestern University

• David M. Hureau, University at Albany, SUNY