OJJDP FY 08 Earmark Program

The Township of Irvington has the highest violent crime rate within the State of New Jersey. A majority of crime is related to the prevalence of gangs and gang related criminal activity. To reduce youth violence and gang membership among youth, the Township of Irvington and the Irvington Neighborhood Improvement Corporation is seeking funding to both continue and expand its Youth Violence Prevention Initiative. The program will be centered on two core programs: the Eisenhower Police Mini-station and the Phoenix Curriculum, which will aim to reduce the risk factors for violent behavior among 1,394 school-aged children from 4th grade through 8th by increasing protective factors and strengthening their capacity to adopt healthy behaviors. The main goal is to reduce the number of youth joining gangs; however, an evaluation plan will be implemented to measure efforts to improve school attendance by 10% each year at each school that successfully delivers the Phoenix Prevention and Intervention Curriculum; to reduce youth crime in the targeted neighborhoods by 10% each year; to reduce gang membership by 20% over the next three years; and to reduce overall crime in the Township of Irvington by 30% over the next 3 years. NCA/NCF