Scaling Up a Multifaceted Violence Prevention Package: County-Level Impact of the North Carolina Youth Violence Prevention Center

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Multifaceted approaches to youth-violence prevention package evidence-based programs into initiatives that yield large-scale impact. This study assessed the impact of a package of evidence-based violence prevention programs, implemented as part of the North Carolina Youth Violence Prevention Center, on county-level violence indicators. METHOD: Using growth-curve modeling, the target county was compared to all other counties in North Carolina and a comparison county. RESULTS: Results reveal downward trends on several county-level indicators (i.e., undisciplined/delinquent complaints, total delinquent complaints, juvenile arrests–aggravated assaults, and short-term suspensions) throughout the intervention period. However, statistical tests were unable to confirm that intervention-period scores on youth-violence indicators were significantly different than expected scores given the relationship between pretest and intervention-period scores in other North Carolina counties. CONCLUSIONS: Although additional administrative data points are needed to support the hypotheses, this study provides preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of North Carolina Youth Violence Prevention Center interventions.