Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Street Outreach Workers: Best Practices And Lessons Learned: Innovative Practices From The Charles E. Shannon Jr. Community Safety Initiative Series, Scott Decker, Tim Bynum, Jack Mcdevitt, Amy Farrell, Sean Varano

Amy Farrell

Street outreach workers are an important part of the Senator Charles E. Shannon Jr. Community Safety Initiative (CSI) comprehensive gang and youth violence reduction strategy in Massachusetts. Street outreach involves the use of individuals to "work the streets," making contact with youth in neighborhoods with high levels of gang activity. These individuals are generally not employed by the criminal justice system agencies but rather are based in community service organizations or other non- governmental agencies. Street outreach workers provide an important bridge between the community, gang-involved youth, and the agencies (whether social service or law enforcement) that respond to the …