The physical, emotional, and financial impact of youth violence on neighborhoods, communities, and states is devastating. To address this issue in Massachusetts, the state created the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI), a multifaceted strategy for reducing youth violence in the Commonwealth.

Produced by a team led by the American Institutes for Research and including WestEd and the Justice Resource Institute, this report:

  • Measures the effectiveness of SSYI
  • Identifies the key factors that determine SSYI outcomes
  • Summarizes best practices and strategies in violence prevention
  • Provides a policy yardstick by which to measure current practices against other approaches

A companion report, Strategies to Prevent Urban Violence: A Companion Report to the SSYI Evidence and Implementation Review, is also available.