Aa. Braga et al., Problem-oriented policing, deterrence, and youth violence: An evaluation of Boston's operation ceasefire, J RES CRIME, 38(3), 2001, pp. 195-225
Operation Ceasefire is a problem-oriented policing intervention aimed at re
ducing youth homicide and youth firearms violence in Boston. It represented
an innovative partnership between researchers and practitioners to assess
the city's youth homicide problem and implement an intervention designed to
have a substantial near-term impact on the problem. Operation Ceasefire wa
s based on the "pulling levers" deterrence strategy that focused criminal j
ustice attention on a small number of chronically offending gang-involved y
outh responsible for much of Boston's youth homicide problem. Our impact ev
aluation suggests that the Ceasefire intervention was associated with signi
ficant reductions in youth homicide victimization, shots-fired calls for se
rvice, and gun assault incidents in Boston. A comparative analysis of youth
homicide trends in Boston relative to youth homicide trends in other major
U.S. and New England cities also supports a unique program effect associat
ed with the Ceasefire intervention.