Evidence-Based Strategies for Preventing Urban Youth Violence

Abstract

Abstract Youth violence continues to be a national public health concern. Violence in its many forms (e.g., aggression, bullying, delinquency, gun crimes) has profound and long-term effects on individuals (e.g., injury, death, mental health issues, more violent behavior, criminal record) and communities (e.g., loss of community members, unsafe conditions, community trauma, victim blaming, isolation from resources). While the field of violence prevention is not new and there is a body of evidence that identifies risk and protective factors of youth violence as optimal targets for programs and practices, less is known about violence prevention specifically for contexts that experience the most impact: low-resource urban communities. This chapter reviews what is known about evidence-based youth violence prevention strategies and what we still need to learn specifically for urban communities experiencing high levels of youth violence. We end with recommendations for future research, practice, and policy, with a call for more context specific approaches.