Assessing the Social Impact of School-Based Crime Prevention through a Social Justice Lens

• In Event: Crime Prevention for Social Impact and Social Justice II

Abstract

Much research has demonstrated what works to reduce crime, delinquency, and victimization in schools. Unfortunately, far less is known about the fairness and equity surrounding the implementation and impact of these school-based crime prevention strategies, and what is known indicates great disparities on the basis of structural and contextual characteristics, such as the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic composition of the student body. The current project will examine this issue through a synthesis of evidence-based interventions within a social justice framework. Particular attention will be given to research on the adoption, scaling, and sustainability of these interventions, and how this field of implementation science can be applied to address these inequities. Drawing from recent writings in the areas of healthcare, child welfare, and human services, crucial elements of equitable implementation will be discussed. These essential factors highlight the importance of trusting relationships among all parties (program developers, researchers, implementation staff, school administrators, faculty, students, and parents), the identification and development of program adaptations that tailor the intervention to the specific school and community in which it is being implemented, and the need to involve school and community members at every stage of the implementation process.

Author

• Allison Ann Payne, Villanova University