Program Goals/Target Population
The Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) is a state-funded, community-based secondary violence prevention program that launched in 2011 that is now in 13 Massachusetts cities (Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Fall River, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Springfield, and Worcester) to address serious youth violence, particularly gun violence. SSYI is a comprehensive public health approach that does not rely on suppression, arrest, or incarceration of young men who have already committed a gun- or gang-related crime or have been a victim of such crime. Instead, the program offers an array of services—including case management, outreach, and direct services (e.g., subsidized employment, behavioral health)—to young men ages 17 to 24 (originally, the targeted age group was 14 to 24, but the state changed this in 2016) who are believed to be at “proven risk” for becoming involved in firearm violence.
The goal of SSYI is to serve young men who are most likely to commit or fall victim to gang or gun crime to reduce their incarceration and victimization from violent and nonviolent crime, and promote their healthy development and outcomes.
Program Components/Key Personnel
To identify eligible youth, the first step of SSYI is the list creation process, in which local police departments in each of the 13 SSYI cities use crime data to identify youth with one or more of the “proven risk” characteristics. In this context, “proven risk” describes young men who have committed a violent crime using a gun or knife, who have been victimized by violent crime and may be prone to retaliation, or those who are known gang members. Police, program staff, and service partners all review these data to identify youths for SSYI participation, and then youths are invited to participate in the program.
Each site implements the program with slight variations based on the needs and context of each SSYI community, but there are some components that are mandatory and must be included in each local SSYI program:
- Specific identification of young men, ages 17–24, who are considered to be at proven risk based on a review of local police data
- Use of street outreach workers to engage these proven-risk young men in programming and to serve as informal mentors
- Implementation of a comprehensive, individualized case management approach to assess current needs, link youth with needed services and supports, and monitor and reinforce progress
Once engaged in the program, each participant’s education history, work history, family situation, and mental health needs are assessed to create individual service plans, which are implemented through case management in close collaboration with mental health clinicians. Behavioral health services such as trauma treatment and cognitive behavioral therapy are also available through SSYI, to address youths’ underlying problems tied to their histories of involvement in violence, which can include substance misuse, depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder. Young men in SSYI have access to both traditional and nontraditional education services, including high school enrollment or GED attainment, vocational training, or certification programs. Workforce development is another service through SSYI that provides soft and hard skills training, including on-the-job training, to develop a participant’s necessary professional work skills for success.
SSYI is a cross-system, multi-agency approach that concentrates on affecting a young man’s individual capacities (build skills, address needs, etc.), relational experiences (including role models and opportunities for prosocial development), and situational environment (for example, employment and routine activities). The initiative does not have a specified end date; case management and outreach can continue until the young men age out of program eligibility.
Program Theory
Each component of SSYI is implemented based on the program’s theory of change that includes numerous mediators and moderators needed ultimately to reduce gun violence perpetrated by youth. It begins with outreach workers, program engagement, individualized assessment, receipt of quality services, and case management support with progressive outcomes monitoring. Through outreach comes mutuality, trust, empathy, and creating new networks. Receiving quality services leads to success in education, stable employment, and mental health treatment. And case management provides skills for reflective thinking and identity development. All of this is mediated by peer, family, and community well-being to lead to improvements in a youth’s financial, social, emotional, psychological, and physical well-being. In this theory of change, interpersonal history, social competencies, developmental stage, relationship quality with outreach mentors, the fidelity of case management implementation, the level of service engagement, and community norms all contribute as moderating factors (Campie et al. 2017).
