Closing the Revolving Door of Violence
The CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE hospital-based peer intervention program hires young adults who have overcome violence in their own lives to work with youth who are recovering from violent injuries. These highly trained Intervention Specialists offer long-term case management, linkages to community services, mentoring home visits, and follow-up assistance to violently injured youth. The purpose is to promote positive alternatives to violence and to reduce retaliation, re-injury, and arrest.
Caught in the Crossfire staff and participant
Without intervention, hospitals discharge these patients to the same violent environment where they were injured, with no "prescription" for how to stay safe, and with great pressures to get revenge. Too often, this results in a "revolving door" of violence: after youth are injured and hospitalized, they and their friends often retaliate, causing even more injuries or death, arrest, and incarceration.
Data published by the US Department of Justice bears this out: studies show that hospitalization for violence-related injuries is recurrent, with hospital readmission rates for subsequent assaults as high as 44 percent and subsequent homicide rates as high as 20 percent.
One violent act leads to another . . . and another. . . and another. The violent cycle continues.
CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE Stops That Cycle.
The staff members, or "Intervention Specialists," have grown up the same communities where they now work. Many have survived violence themselves. The Specialists act as case managers and mentors, working closely with the youth and their families to help them avoid violence and thrive.
How Caught In The Crossfire Works
As soon as a young person is admitted to the hospital with a violence-related injury, hospital staff call in the Intervention Specialist, who arrives within one hour at the hospital room, helping the injured patient and his or her families and friends cope with the injury and start talking about alternatives to retaliation.
At these initial bedside visits, the Intervention Specialist focuses on developing a trusting relationship with the patient, providing comfort and emotional support, working to prevent immediate and future retaliation, promoting alternative strategies for dealing with conflicts, identifying the youth's short-term needs, and developing a plan for staying safe.
Referring patients to the Caught in the Crossfire program. |
After The Hospital
After the young person leaves the hospital, the Intervention Specialist continues to foster a relationship, easing the youth's transition back into the community through frequent personal and telephone follow-up contact. The Specialist provides support and mentoring to the youth, as well as to his/her family, through intensive case management.
The CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE Specialist provides a continuum of care for as long as the young person desires, typically for six months, contacting the young person at least once a week.
How The Youth Are Helped
The Intervention Specialist coordinates assistance from social services providers, probation officers, teachers, administrators, guidance counselors, hospital social workers, and other youth service professionals. This results in a network of wrap-around aid to the youth.
The Intervention Specialist, on an ongoing basis, links the young person and his or her family with local resources that meet participants' basic needs and promote healthy, nonviolent lifestyles, such as:
- medical coverage and follow-up care
- educational programs
- job training programs
- employment opportunities
- counseling
- life skills training
- legal assistance
- recreational programs
- substance abuse intervention
- anger management classes
- safe housing
Youth participants have re-enrolled in school, received mental health counseling and job training, secured part-time and full-time employment, and found relief from crisis situations involving housing, food, transportation and health care.
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Who We Are
Want to see more results?
Read full case-control evaluation study results here.