U.S. Attorney General's Defending Childhood Initiative: Formative Evaluation of the Phase I Demonstration Program

摘要

A recent national survey found that 60 percent of American children have been exposed to violence, crime, or abuse in their homes, schools, or communities and that 40 percent were direct victims of two or more violent acts. In an effort to address childrens exposure to violence, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), under the leadership of Attorney General Eric Holder, launched the Defending Childhood Initiative. This national initiative aims to: 1) prevent children's exposure to violence; 2) mitigate the negative impact of such exposure when it does occur, and; 3) develop knowledge and spread awareness about childrens exposure to violence. This report seeks to summarize those results of the formative evaluation that transcend the specific features or evaluability of any one site. The report describes the nature and scope of children's exposure to violence in the eight demonstration sites, describing the common and unique strategies the sites chose for addressing the problem, and drawing key lessons so that other jurisdictions seeking to address children's exposure to violence in their own communities can learn from the current evaluation of the Defending Childhood Initiative.