Multidisciplinary teams, street outreach, and gang intervention: Mixed methods findings from a randomized controlled trial in Denver

Abstract

Community violence intervention and prevention (CVIP) initiatives aim to develop local infrastructures that inoculate communities from violence. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to evaluate an intervention designed to facilitate disengagement from gangs and desistance from crime. An impact evaluation, based on a preregistered randomized controlled trial, was paired with a process evaluation, based on field observations and interviews, of the Gang Reduction Initiative of Denver’s centerpiece intervention that uses multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) and street outreach workers to construct and implement coordinated case plans for high-risk gang members. The results of the impact evaluation revealed that clients assigned to the intervention were less likely to self-report perpetrating violence, yet more likely to self-identify as gang members; judicial records revealed no differences in arrests, charges, or dispositions. The results of the process evaluation indicated that MDTs were effective in securing services for their clients. Despite their limited training and heterogeneous strategies, street outreach workers were viewed positively by their clients and were observed to prioritize behavioral over identity change. These findings are situated within long-standing tensions and disparate approaches in using outreach workers and targeting of gang behavior and/or involvement in violence reduction strategies, along with large-scale federal investment in CVIP.