Noteworthy
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Photograph by Michael J. Clarke
spring 2024
The ‘Science on the Street’ team in the studio: Chaimaa Hossaini, BS ’23, Studio 73 Assistant Manager Patrick Lys, Biology Professor Eugenia Gold, and Kostas Winslow, Class of 2026.
Two Suffolk faculty members are studying how well Boston’s Community-based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative is working, thanks to a new grant from the Department of Justice.
Erika Gebo (right), professor of sociology & criminal justice, is leading the research team with assistance from Carlos Monteiro, assistant professor of sociology & criminal justice. Gebo and her team are collaborating with the Boston Public Health Commission, which is funding community-based violence intervention programs that work directly with returning citizens—individuals who were formerly incarcerated—and their families in communities with higher rates of violence.
After analyzing the community-sourced data and talking directly with those who have lived experience with incarceration and violence, the Suffolk team will provide real-time feedback and offer best practices for community violence intervention. That team includes Suffolk students like Nataijah King Whittle, a sophomore who will use what’s she learning as the basis for her McNair Scholar research project.
“Our work with these organizations will allow us to see how their interventions have made a difference in the lives of their clients and families and extrapolate how that might impact violence at the city level,” Gebo says.
The grant from the DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs is part of more than $4.4 billion in awards to support state, local, and tribal public safety and community justice activities. More than 3,700 grants are supporting community-based efforts and evidence-based interventions to reduce violence, crime, and recidivism.
“Through this funding, the federal government has recognized the value of community-engaged scholarship, which has great potential to impact real-world issues and policies,” Gebo says. “This funding provides a much-needed foundation to collectively understand what’s working, what’s not, and how things can be changed to increase the health and safety of residents.”
By Gillian Smith