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Profile No. 32
Promising

Operation Eiger, Baton Rouge Partnership for the Prevention of Juvenile Gun Violence -- Baton Rouge, LA

Program Type or Federal Program Source:
Initiative for surveillance of probationers.

Program Goal:
To reduce gun violence among youth and increase community safety.

Specific Groups Targeted by the Strategy:
Juveniles and youth ages 12 to 24.

Geographical Area Targeted by the Strategy:
Two ZIP code areas in the city.

Evaluated by:
COSMOS Corporation, Bethesda, MD.

Contact Information:
Yvonne Day
Baton Rouge Partnership to Reduce Juvenile Gun Violence
222 St. Louis Street, Ninth Floor, Room 936
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Phone: 504­389­7871

Years of Operation:
1997­present


Operation Eiger is a high-intensity, police-probation partnership, operating in Baton Rouge, LA. This initiative targets a group of repeat violent youth offenders identified by the Partnership as "Eigers." Eiger is a metaphorical reference to the Swiss mountain of the same name. Though not the world's highest mountain, it is known as one of the most difficult to climb. Three-member, police-probation teams have implemented intensive and regular home visits with the Eigers, their parents, and their siblings to monitor probation compliance, record information for intervention services, and establish an ongoing dialog with the families. In addition, Operation Eiger teams monitor identified youth (non-Eigers) who are at risk of becoming serious habitual offenders. The strategy facilitates an immediate response to delinquent behavior when it occurs.

In the initiative's first 13 months, a total of 311 Eigers had been identified 198 juveniles and 113 young adults (17­21 years of age). These probationers reside in two target ZIP code areas in North Baton Rouge. In addition, the teams monitor 247 other high-risk youth. Intensive case management and intervention services are provided to the Eiger population. Need and risk assessments have been completed for 205 Eigers, individual service plans have been developed for 72 juvenile Eigers, and case management intervention services (using program partners and other community resources) have been delivered to 51 youth. These intervention services included substance abuse treatment, mentoring, job training/placement, and many other forms of counseling and support to both youth and families.

Over the past year, Eiger teams have made 9,570 home visits, with the average number of monthly contacts per juvenile Eiger (ages 16 and under) ranging from 3.3 during the first month of implementation to 6.2 during the last 3 months of the reporting period. The average number of monthly contacts for older youth (ages 17 to 21) remained constant at 3.4 contacts per month throughout the period, largely because the number of violations for individuals in this group remained consistently low (at less than 2 percent). The most dramatic difference was found in the juvenile Eiger population. In this group, the percentage of contacts for whom no violations were reported increased from 56 percent in September 1997 to 71 percent in September 1998.

Operation Eiger is one element of a collaborative, comprehensive strategy, funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, that was implemented in Baton Rouge to address escalating violent crime rates. For a more detailed description, and discussion of how the program fits into the city's overall crime reduction strategy, please see profile 8.

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Promising Strategies to Reduce Gun Violence OJJDP Report