Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman today announced a $1.4 million grant to expand the Trenton Violence Reduction Strategy (“TVRS”), an innovative, long-term, multi-disciplinary strategy, developed in conjunction with key partners in law enforcement, higher education and the community. The program is designed to target the roots of violence in Trenton by offering employment opportunities, social services and training to ex-offenders, other at-risk individuals who are prepared to turn away from a life of crime, and their support networks – the family members and loved ones who may also benefit from assistance and help improve the outcomes for program participants.
The initial $1.1 million grant awarded in 2013 to the Trenton Police Department and The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) was provided to work with up to 40 adult ex-offenders and individuals at-risk of engaging in criminal conduct by providing them the opportunity to receive case management and wrap-around services (counseling, treatment, employment placement, etc.) to help them take accountability and responsibility for their lives. The program has been an unqualified success. It currently includes 77 participants – nearly double the number expected to be assisted during the initial grant period – and has received enormous buy-in and support from the community.
The outcomes for program participants also have been very encouraging. Only one participant has committed a new offense and just six committed technical parole or probation violations. Nearly all of the active participants are either employed or attending school, most have received life skills and other training from a Trenton-based non-profit service provider (Isles, Inc.). The TVRS has also extended its reach to work with family members and loved ones of program participants to build a stronger support network around them and emphasize the importance of a comprehensive approach that strengthens family and community bonds in order to change the lives of those who are willing and eager to get a new start.
Under the additional $1.4 million grant, also funded by the Attorney General’s Office through drug enforcement demand reduction funds, the Office of the Attorney General, the Trenton Police Department, and TCNJ have agreed to a three-year extension of the TVRS that will allow for more than 75 new participants to participate in the program between now and June 2019.
TVRS offers adult ex-offenders and individuals at-risk of engaging in criminal conduct the chance to get a new start if they are willing to be accountable for their actions. If the offer is accepted, participants are screened, their needs identified, and case management provided to help them find employment, receive counseling and treatment (if necessary), and educational opportunities. If the offer is not accepted, those individuals are made aware that continued criminal conduct will not be tolerated and aggressive law enforcement measures will be taken against them. The offer of participation is done through verbal and written invitations to attend a “call-in” event held at Galilee Baptist Church in Trenton.
The program also has been successful because of its local roots. The TVRS Coordinator grew up in Trenton and is himself an ex-offender who has worked extensively with contracted service providers for both the Department of Corrections and the State Parole Board for the past ten years. The ten outreach workers, who act as informal mentors to program participants, are all Trenton residents and active members of the community.
TVRS, in conjunction with the collaborative, multi-agency law enforcement initiative dubbed TIDE (Targeted Integrated Deployment Effort)/TAG (Targeted Anti-Gun Initiative), has helped achieve a dramatic reduction in violent crime since this three-pronged approach first launched in late 2013. Last year, the total number of murders in Trenton dropped by half and shooting murders fell by nearly 60 percent. As importantly, the federal, state, and local partnerships created by the TVRS and TIDE/TAG have not only improved the overall effort at reducing crime, but yielded stronger bonds with the residents of Trenton.
The TVRS has been recognized as a best practice by the state’s Study Commission on Violence and leadership from TVRS hosted representatives from the City of Baltimore at the November 2015 call-in event. The representatives from Baltimore expressed an interest in learning more about the program to see if it could be replicated in Baltimore in the wake of the unrest following the death of Freddie Gray.