Latin America and Caribbean Youth Violence Prevention Final Project Report

The project aimed to improve the capacity of USAID and its partners to successfully implement crime and violence prevention programming in the LAC region. The project's goal was achieved through three intermediate results: increasing information on crime and violence, including its drivers and risk factors; increasing the evidence base on crime and violence prevention activities, with a particular focus on secondary and tertiary interventions; and disseminating information on what works (and what doesn't) in crime and violence prevention to practitioners, policy makers, researchers, donors, and multilateral organizations. To achieve the first intermediate result, the LAC YVP project conducted research activities, including reviewing the most recent intervention literature on youth violence prevention strategies in the LAC region and globally, analyzing the effectiveness of youth violence prevention interventions, and conducting and sponsoring original research on youth violence prevention issues throughout the region. One of the key findings from the research was that the most effective interventions were those implemented with tertiary-risk youth, or those youth who have already committed a violent act. However, these interventions were the least common, and more investment should be made in tertiary risk interventions to reduce violence. The project team also conducted a secondary analysis of migration and violence data to understand the effects of various types of violent and non-violent crime on international migration decisions in the Northern Triangle and the effect of generalized violence on unaccompanied child migrant arrivals in the U.S. between 2011 and 2016. The study found that one additional homicide per year in the region caused a cumulative total of 3.7 unaccompanied child apprehensions in the U.S. To achieve the second intermediate result, the LAC YVP project conducted a focused deterrence feasibility assessment in El Salvador, developed indicators for measuring community-based violence prevention outcomes in the LAC region, and conducted grant-funded activities. The project team also developed a training toolkit on violence prevention for USAID personnel and conducted conferences, workshops, and learning exchanges to disseminate information on what works (and what doesn't) in crime and violence prevention. The LAC YVP project's research and activities were disseminated through various channels, including the project's website, social media, and publications. The project team also presented findings in person to the American Society of Criminology and during a virtual panel organized by the Society for International Development. The evidence gap mapping report is a foundational learning tool available in the Violence Prevention eLearning Module through USAID University and is posted on the Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC). The project's findings and recommendations were also shared with USAID and other stakeholders through various channels, including a user-friendly summary and infographic, a Dear Colleague email blast, and a feature on the 35 West podcast produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The project team also presented findings in person to the American Society of Criminology and during a virtual panel organized by the Society for International Development. The LAC YVP project's research and activities have contributed to a better understanding of the drivers and risk factors of crime and violence in the LAC region and have informed USAID's policy making in the region. The project's findings and recommendations have also been disseminated to practitioners, policy makers, researchers, donors, and multilateral organizations, and have contributed to the development of more effective crime and violence prevention programming in the LAC region. The project's research and activities have also highlighted the need for more investment in tertiary risk interventions to reduce violence, the importance of accurately documenting the intervention implementation process, and the need to improve the quality of intervention research designs when working with populations and programs that are difficult or unethical to engage in randomized controlled trials. The project's findings and recommendations have also emphasized the importance of longitudinal examinations of violence in persistently dangerous places to understand why violence persists and to examine the long-term impacts of primary violence prevention programming. Overall, the LAC YVP project has made significant contributions to the understanding of crime and violence in the LAC region and has informed USAID's policy making in the region. The project's findings and recommendations have also been disseminated to practitioners, policy makers, researchers, donors, and multilateral organizations, and have contributed to the development of more effective crime and violence prevention programming in the LAC region.