Measuring Success in Focused Deterrence Through an Effective Researcher-Practitioner Partnership, Philadelphia, PA, 2003-2015 (ICPSR 37225)

Version Date: Jul 29, 2021

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Principal Investigator(s):
Caterina Gouvis Roman, Temple University

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37225.v1

Version V1

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Summary

In the fall of 2013, Temple University's Department of Criminal Justice was awarded a research grant by the National Institute of Justice to evaluate Philadelphia's Focused Deterrence (FD) strategy. The study was designed to provide a comprehensive, objective review of FD and to determine if the law enforcement partnership accomplished what it set out to accomplish. The findings from this study highlight the key results from the impact evaluation that assessed whether gun violence saw a statistically significant decline that could be attributed to FD. The impact evaluation focused on area-level reductions in shootings. The evaluation uses victim and incident data from 2003 through March 2015 received from Philadelphia Police Department. The post-FD period of examination consists of the first 24 months after the implementation of FD (April 2013 through March 2015).

Citation

Roman, Caterina Gouvis. Measuring Success in Focused Deterrence Through an Effective Researcher-Practitioner Partnership, Philadelphia, PA, 2003-2015. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2021-07-29. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37225.v1

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Funding

United States Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. National Institute of Justice (2013-IJ-CX-0056)

Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

Smallest Geographic Unit

Block group

Distributor(s)

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
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Time Period(s)

2003-01-01 -- 2015-03-31
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Study Purpose

The study was designed to provide a comprehensive, objective review of Focused Deterrence (FD) and to determine if the law enforcement partnership accomplished what it set out to accomplish. Focused Deterrence strategies are violence reduction strategies that utilize the selection of a specific target problem based on research, and the assembling of an interagency working group to communicate a deterrence message to a target audience (usually violent gang members or drug dealers operating overt markets) with the appropriate follow through on consequences. As the communication message spreads and becomes more sophisticated, social service support systems often emerge to balance the criminal punishments. Philadelphia's FD strategy is directed toward gangs with the intent of reducing gun violence. The findings from this study highlight the key results from the impact evaluation that assessed whether gun violence saw a statistically significant decline that could be attributed to FD. The impact evaluation focused on area-level reductions in shootings.

Sample

Monthly time series of shooting rates across block groups from January 2003 through March 2015.

Time Method

Longitudinal

Universe

Block group level data that is analyzed to create a monthly time series of rate of shootings from January 1 2003 though March 2015.

Unit(s) of Observation

Month

Data Type(s)

Description of Variables

Variables in the Main Dataset include variables on the dates of the observations, the rate of block group shootings, and whether or not the incident was during the treatment period. Variables in the Population Weights dataset include include an ID variable and weight variables.

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Original Release Date

2021-07-29

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Weight

The comparison group block groups are weighted by the propensity score model output that matches treatment to comparison group.

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Notes

  • The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.