We Trust You, But Not That Much: Examining Police–Black Clergy Partnerships to Reduce Youth Violence

Abstract

This paper examines activist black clergy involvement in local youth violence reduction initiatives and efforts to improve police-minority community relations in Boston, Massachusetts. In-depth interviews were conducted with activist black clergy, community organizers, and Boston Police Department (BPD) managers. Study findings highlight how the work of a specific group of black ministers supports that of BPD and vice versa. The research suggests that police-black clergy partnerships can improve police legitimacy in minority communities and enhance informal social control elements of youth violence prevention strategies.

Keywords:

• activist black clergy
• police-minority community relations
• youth violence

Notes

¹ Although we make frequent reference to black churches, parishioners, and clergy, we are fully aware and appreciate the diversity that exists among them. Further, we attempted to capture such religious diversity within the black community in the study design.

² A voluminous literature exists regarding the relationship between religion and individual offending (see, e.g. Freeman, 1986; Hirschi & Stark, 1969; Johnson, Jang et al., 2000; Johnson, Larson et al., 2000). As mentioned at the outset of this article, an analysis of this relationship is not the focal point of the current study. However, in a recent systemic review examining the relationship between religious involvement and delinquency, Johnson (2011) found that the vast majority of studies “report an inverse beneficial relationship between religion and some measure of crime and delinquency” and that hardly any studies linked religion with a “harmful outcome” (p. 78). Reflecting on this body of research, Cullen (2010) argues that the study of religion should be an integral part of the criminological enterprise and a vibrant subfield within the discipline.

³ Please note that we are not conflating density with religiosity. The density of black churches is in part—if not mostly explained—by low-overhead costs and the presence of “storefront” churches. African-American communities in many cities are overwhelmingly disadvantaged, with exceptionally low real estate costs.

⁴ We interviewed all three reverends and assigned them pseudonyms.

⁵ http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/SPT/Programs/43.

⁶ In their popular article on TPC in The Public Interest, Winship and Berrien (1999) do not specify any data collection methods or analytical techniques. Berrien and Winship (2002) mention observing police–clergy crime prevention meetings and conducting interviews with clergy, police officers, and others. However, they do not specify how many meetings were observed or how many individuals were interviewed. Newspaper articles are referenced throughout both papers. Personal communication with Christopher Winship (March 2012) suggests repeated interviews with three lead clergy (Hammond, Brown, and Rivers), routine presence at crime prevention meetings occurring at one faith-based organization (the Ella J. Baker House) during the mid to late 1990s, occasional interviews with other clergy and support staff, and interviews with a small number of BPD managers.

⁷ We were prohibited from compensating BPD managers.

⁸ The BPD Safe Street Team program assigns teams of officers (1 sergeant and 6 patrol officers) to persistent violent crime hot spots in Boston on a permanent basis. These officers are required to patrol on foot and/or bicycles in the hot spot area, form partnerships with local residents and business owners, use problem-oriented policing to address crime problems, and arrest offenders (see, e.g. Braga, Hureau, & Papachristos, 2011).

⁹ The instruments were intended to tap into consistent themes but were revised slightly because some questions were not relevant to each of our three groups.

¹⁰ It is important to note here that sensitive tactical elements, such as investigations of particular individuals or the use of confidential informants and undercover officers in specific areas, were not discussed with ministers.

¹¹ Similarly, in Chicago, relationships between many of the black churches were marred by cleavages resulting from religious ideologies and the demographics of each church’s congregation (Mears & Corkan, 2007).

¹² To illustrate the importance of trust, both clergy and BPD study participants pointed to Operation Homefront—an intervention and prevention initiative where YVSF officers and clergy visit the homes of at risk students previously identified by school personnel. When necessary, the police–clergy teams make referrals to a number of local social service agencies who conduct follow-up visits with and provide resources to the families. Our respondents were adamant that due to its voluntary nature (i.e. parental consent), such a program would not have been possible without considerable community trust in the police/clergy relationship.

¹³ As described earlier, there is some indirect empirical evidence that BPD–TPC partnerships improved police relationships with the community by virtue of fewer complaints lodged against Boston police officers after the partnership was developed in the early to mid 1990s (see Johnson, 2011). There is also some indirect empirical evidence that police–black clergy partnerships can be very helpful in reducing youth violence. TPC clergy were the lead community partners in the Operation Ceasefire strategy that was associated with a large reduction in youth homicides in Boston during the 1990s (Braga et al., 2001).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rod K. Brunson

Rod K. Brunson is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University. His research examines youths’ experiences in neighborhood contexts, with a specific focus on the interactions of race, class, and gender, and their relationship to criminal justice practices. His work appears in the British Journal of Criminology, Criminology, Evaluation Review, Justice Quarterly, and Urban Affairs Review.

Anthony A. Braga

Anthony A. Braga is the Don M. Gottfredson Professor of Evidence-Based Criminology in the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University and a Senior Research Fellow in the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management at Harvard University. His research involves collaborating with criminal justice, social service, and community-based organizations to address illegal access to firearms, reduce gang and group-involved violence, and control crime hot spots. Recent articles have been published in Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Justice Quarterly, and Criminology & Public Policy.

David M. Hureau

David M. Hureau is a doctoral student in Sociology and Social Policy and a Research Fellow in the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management at Harvard University. His research interests include youth violence, gangs, urban neighborhoods, youth development, social networks, and micro-sociology. Recent articles have appeared in Journal of Urban Health, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Justice Quarterly, and Evaluation Review.

Kashea Pegram

Kashea Pegram is a doctoral student in the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University. Her research interests are prisoner reentry, community corrections, and evaluation research.