PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia officials are reporting success with the crime-fighting strategy known as Group Violence Intervention (GVI). They released a University of Pennsylvania report Tuesday that shows a reduction in crime in parts of the city where GVI is being used.
GVI, also known as focused deterrence, is based on data that shows more than half of violent crime is committed by less than 1% of the population.
The idea, borne out by decades of research, is that you can reach that limited number of likely offenders and help them go straight with a combination of social services, incentives such as jobs if they stay out of trouble, and swift, sure consequences if they turn to crime again.
Mayor Jim Kenney says the Penn evaluation shows Philadelphia has joined the success stories.
“The big takeaway is that GVI works, and we must continue to invest in this approach,” said Kenney. “We will, and I hope the next administration does the same.”
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The evaluation looks at contacts by the city’s GVI team with 66 groups, comprising 276 individuals, from August 2020 to May 2022.
Deputy Mayor for the Office of Children and Families Vanessa Garrett Harley said it found shootings involving the groups decreased 38% after just one contact, and 50% after two contacts.
“Our focus has been and will continue to be increasing access to this now very-proven strategy,” said Garrett Harley.
“The mobile teams are very effective at reaching those at the greatest risk of involvement in group- or gang-related violence.”
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Garrett Harley says one of the most effective elements of Philadelphia’s program is that the outreach teams include mothers of murder victims, such as Cherie Ryans.
“I tell them, ‘You don’t want your mother to go through what I go through every day,’ and the thanks that we get is when a young man says, ‘What you said to me helped change my life,’” said Ryans.
The program started in Southwest Philadelphia, but has expanded to neighborhoods across the city.
This is Philadelphia’s second crack at GVI. A pilot in South Philadelphia dissolved just after District Attorney Larry Krasner was elected and declined to participate in the program. His office is part of the current GVI effort.