Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-zzh7m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-27T04:03:22.878Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

14 - Taking Back the Streets

Violence Prevention and Neighborhood Empowerment in the South Ward of Newark

from Part III - Community Psychology in Action

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 December 2021

By
Christopher M. Thompson ,
Corinne C. Datchi  and
Lakeesha Eure
Edited by
Caroline S. Clauss-Ehlers
Caroline S. Clauss-Ehlers
Affiliation:
Long Island University, New York
Get access

Summary

This chapter provides an overview of social disorganization and pluralistic neighborhood theories and their limitations in explaining the complexities of neighborhood life. It discusses how the systemic epistemology of couple and family psychology can enhance our understanding of the reciprocal and interdependent relations between individual behaviors and neighborhood characteristics. To illustrate the application of key family systems theory concepts, the chapter examines the activities of a community-based anti-violence organization in the South Ward of Newark, New Jersey, and highlights the community processes that are activated to increase neighborhood engagement and collective efficacy. Implications for community psychology are discussed.

Keywords

Neighborhood theoriesfamily systems theorycommunity organizinganti-violence interventions
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Community Psychology
Interdisciplinary and Contextual Perspectives
 , pp. 289 - 309
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aber, M. S., & Nieto, M. (2000). Suggestions for the investigation of psychological wellness in the neighborhood context: Toward a pluralistic neighborhood theory. In Cicchetti, D., Rappaport, J., Sandler, I., & Weissberg, R. P. (Eds.), The promotion of wellness in children and adolescents (pp. 185–219). Washington, DC: CWLA Press.Google Scholar
Affuso, G., Bacchini, D., Aquilar, S., De Angelis, G., & Miranda, M. C. (2014). Esposizione alla violenza in contesti multipli e sintomi post-traumatici da stress: uno studio con adolescent (Exposure to violence in multiple contexts and post-traumatic stress symptoms: A study with adolescents). Maltrattamento e Abuso all’Infanzia, 2(16), 13–33. doi.org/10.3280/mal2014-002002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, A. L. (2002). Individual and contextual influences on delinquency: The role of the single-parent family. Journal of Criminal Justice, 30(6), 575–587. doi.org/10.1016/s0047-2352(02)00191-5CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bacchini, D., & Esposito, C. (2020). Growing up in violent contexts: Differential effects of community, family, and school violence on child adjustment. In Balvin, N. & Christie, D. J. (Eds.), Children and peace: From research to action (pp. 157–171). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.Google Scholar
Baum, A., Singer, J. E., & Baum, C. S. (1981). Stress and the environment. Journal of Social Issues, 37(1), 4–35. doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1981.tb01056.xGoogle Scholar
Bhatt, G., & Tweed, R. (2018). University and community acting together to address youth violence and gang involvement. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 59(2), 151–162. doi.org/10.1037/cap0000149CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Block, R. (1979). Community, environment, and violent crime. Criminology, 17(1), 46–57. doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.1979.tb01275.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boggess, L. N. (2017). Disentangling the reciprocal relationship between change in crime and racial/ethnic change. Social Science Research, 68, 30–42. doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2017.08.011Google Scholar
Brown, B., Perkins, D. D., & Brown, G. (2003). Place attachment in a revitalizing neighborhood: Individual and block levels of analysis. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23(3), 259–271. doi.org/10.1016/s0272-4944(02)00117-2Google Scholar
Bursik, R. J., & Grasmick, H. G. (1992). Longitudinal neighborhood profiles in delinquency: The decomposition of change. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 8(3), 247–263. doi.org/10.1007/bf01064548CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Corasaniti, N. & Saul, S. (2019, March 27). “Newark’s original sin” and the criminal justice education of Cory Booker: Mr. Booker’s road from enforcer to reformer began with rocky oversight of the Newark Police Department. The New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2019/03/27/us/politics/cory-booker-2020-criminal-justice.htmlGoogle Scholar
Cowen, E. L. (1994). The enhancement of psychological wellness: Challenges and opportunities. American Journal of Community Psychology, 22(2), 149–179. doi.org/10.1007/bf02506861Google Scholar
Eitle, D., & Turner, R. J. (2002). Exposure to community violence and young adult crime: The effects of witnessing violence, traumatic victimization, and other stressful life events. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 39(2), 214–237. doi.org/10.1177/002242780203900204CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fajnzylber, P., Lederman, D., Loayza, N., et al. (2000). Crime and victimization: An economic perspective [with comments]. Economia, 1(1), 219–302. doi.org/10.1353/eco.2000.0004Google Scholar
Fernández, J. S., & Langhout, R. D. (2014). “A community with diversity of culture, wealth, resources, and living experiences”: Defining neighborhood in an unincorporated community. American Journal of Community Psychology, 53(1–2), 122–133. doi.org/10.1007/s10464-014-9631-9Google Scholar
Fiese, B. H., Jones, B. L., & Saltzman, J. A. (2019). Systems unify family psychology. In Fiese, B. H., Celano, M., Deater-Deckard, K., Jouriles, E. N., & Whisman, M. A. (Eds.), APA handbook of contemporary family psychology: Foundations, methods, and contemporary issues across the lifespan, Vol. 1 (pp. 3–19). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Figueira‐McDonough, J. (1993). Residence, dropping out, and delinquency rates. Deviant Behavior, 14(2), 109–132. doi.org/10.1080/01639625.1993.9967933Google Scholar
Freire, P. (2006). Pedagogy of the oppressed (30th anniversary ed.). New York: Continuum.Google Scholar
Geller, J. D., Doykos, B., Craven, K., Bess, K. D., & Nation, M. (2014). Engaging residents in community change: The critical role of trust in the development of a promise neighborhood. Teachers College Record, 116(4), 1–42.Google Scholar
Goodstein, L. D., & Sandler, I. (1978). Using psychology to promote human welfare: A conceptual analysis of the role of community psychology. American Psychologist, 33(10), 882–892. doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.33.10.882Google Scholar
Hackler, J., Ho, K. Y., & Urquhart-Ross, C. (1974). The willingness to intervene: Differing community characteristics. Social Problems, 21(3), 328–344. doi.org/10.2307/799902Google Scholar
Hartmann, W. E., Wendt, D. C., Saftner, M. A., Marcus, J., & Momper, S. L. (2014). Advancing community-based research with urban American Indian populations: Multidisciplinary perspectives. American Journal of Community Psychology, 54(1–2), 72–80. doi.org/10.1007/s10464-014-9643-5Google Scholar
Hausman, A. J., Siddons, K., & Becker, J. (2000). Using community perspectives on youth firearm violence for prevention program planning. Journal of Community Psychology, 28(6), 643–654. doi.org/10.1002/1520-6629(200011)28:6%3C643::aid-jcop7%3E3.0.co;2-k3.0.CO;2-K>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hay, R. (1998). Sense of place in developmental context. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 18(1), 5–29. doi.org/10.1006/jevp.1997.0060Google Scholar
Hernández, B., Hidalgo, M. C., Salazar-Laplace, M. E., & Hess, S. (2007). Place attachment and place identity in natives and non-natives. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 27(4), 310–319. doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2007.06.003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hipp, J. R. (2011). Spreading the wealth: The effect of the distribution of income and race/ethnicity across households and neighborhoods on city crime trajectories. Criminology: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 49(3), 631–665. doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.2011.00238.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Iscoe, I. (1974). Community psychology and the competent community. American Psychologist, 29(8), 607–613. doi.org/10.1037/h0036925Google Scholar
Janowitz, M. (1975). Sociological theory and social control. American Journal of Sociology, 81(1), 82–108. doi.org/10.1086/226035Google Scholar
Jencks, C., & Mayer, S. E. (1990). The social consequences of growing up in a poor neighborhood. In National Research Council, Inner-city poverty in the United States (pp. 111–186). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.Google Scholar
Karacor, E., & Parlar, G. (2017). Conceptual model of the relationship between neighbourhood attachment, collective efficacy and open space quality. Open House International, 42(2), 68–74. doi.org/10.1108/ohi-02-2017-b0010Google Scholar
Kawachi, I., & Berkman, L. (2000). Social cohesion, social capital, and health. In Kawachi, I. & Berkman, L. (Eds.), Social epidemiology (pp. 174–190). New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Korbin, J. E., Coulton, C. J., Chard, S., Platt–Houston, C., & Su, M. (1998). Impoverishment and child maltreatment in African American and European American neighborhoods. Development and Psychopathology, 10(2), 215–233. doi.org/10.1017/s095457949800158Google Scholar
Kruger, D. J., Hutchison, P., Monroe, M. G., Reischl, T., & Morrel-Samuels, S. (2007). Assault injury rates, social capital, and fear of neighborhood crime. Journal of Community Psychology, 35(4), 483–498. doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20160Google Scholar
Lee, B., Lee, J., & Hoover, L. (2016). Neighborhood characteristics and auto theft: An empirical research from the social disorganization perspective. Security Journal, 29(3), 400–408. doi.org/10.1057/sj.2013.35Google Scholar
Lenzi, M., Vieno, A., Pastore, M., & Santinello, M. (2013). Neighborhood social connectedness and adolescent civic engagement: An integrative model. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 34, 45–54. doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2012.12.003Google Scholar
Leventhal, T., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2000). The neighborhoods they live in: The effects of neighborhood residence on child and adolescent outcomes. Psychological Bulletin, 126(2), 309–337. doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.126.2.309Google Scholar
Lewicka, M. (2005). Ways to make people active: The role of place attachment, cultural capital, and neighborhood ties. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 25(4), 381–395. doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2005.10.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liddle, H. A. (2016). Multidimensional family therapy. In Sexton, T. L. & Lebow, J. (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy (pp. 231–249). New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.Google Scholar
Lin, N., Cook, K. S., & Burt, R. S. (Eds.). (2001). Social capital: Theory and research. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.Google Scholar
Loukaitou-Sideris, A., & Eck, J. E. (2007). Crime prevention and active living. American Journal of Health Promotion, 21(4), 380–389. doi.org/10.4278/0890-1171-21.4s.380Google Scholar
Maccoby, E. E., Johnson, J. P., & Church, R. M. (1958). Community integration and the social control of juvenile delinquency. Journal of Social Issues, 14(3), 38–51. doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1958.tb01415.xGoogle Scholar
Margolin, G., Vickerman, K. A., Oliver, P. H., & Gordis, E. B. (2010). Violence exposure in multiple interpersonal domains: Cumulative and differential effects. Journal of Adolescent Health, 47(2), 198–205. doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.01.020Google Scholar
Mazzola, J., & Yi, K. (2017, July). 50 years ago, Newark burned. www.nj.com/essex/2017/07/what_you_need_to_know_about_the_1967_newark_riots.htmlGoogle Scholar
Moore, S., Shiell, A., Hawe, P., & Haines, V. A. (2005). The privileging of communitarian ideas: Citation practices and the translation of social capital into public health research. American Journal of Public Health, 95(8), 1330–1337. doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2004.046094Google Scholar
Newark Community Economic Development Corporation (Newark CEDC). (2016). Neighborhoods and wards. www.newarkcedc.org/neighborhoods_and_wardsGoogle Scholar
Oh, J. (2005). Social disorganizations and crime rates in U.S. central cities: Toward an explanation of urban economic change. The Social Science Journal, 42(4), 569–582. doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2005.09.008.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Onyx, J., & Bullen, P. (2000). Measuring social capital in five communities. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 36(1), 23–42. doi.org/10.1177/0021886300361002Google Scholar
Orsi, R. (2014). A method for articulating grassroots community organizing outcomes. Journal of Community Psychology, 42(4), 398–413. doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21617Google Scholar
Osgood, D. W., & Chambers, J. M. (2000). Social disorganization outside the metropolis: An analysis of rural youth violence. Criminology, 38(1), 81–116. doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.2000.tb00884.xGoogle Scholar
Parks, B. (2007a, July). Crossroads pt. 1: Before 1967, a gathering storm. http://blog.nj.com/ledgernewark/2007/07/crossroads_part_1.htmlGoogle Scholar
Parks, B. (2007b, July). Crossroads pt. 2: 5 days that changed a city. http://blog.nj.com/ledgernewark/2007/07/crossroads_pt_2.htmlGoogle Scholar
Peet, J. (2009, August). A block in Newark known for drugs and gangs is safe, for NOW. www.nj.com/news/2009/08/a_block_in_newark_known_for_dr.htmlGoogle Scholar
Peterson, N. A., Speer, P. W., Hughey, J., et al. (2008). Community organizations and sense of community: Further development in theory and measurement. Journal of Community Psychology, 36(6), 798–813. doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20260Google Scholar
Perkins, D. D., & Taylor, R. B. (1996). Ecological assessments of community disorder: Their relationship to fear of crime and theoretical implications. American Journal of Community Psychology, 24(1), 63–107. doi.org/10.1007/BF02511883Google Scholar
Pierre, C. L., Burnside, A., & Gaylord-Harden, N. K. (2020). A longitudinal examination of community violence exposure, school belongingness, and mental health among African-American adolescent males. School Mental Health, 12, 388–399. doi.org/10.1007/s12310-020-09359-wGoogle Scholar
Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon & Schuster.Google Scholar
Putnam, R. D., Leonardi, R., & Nanetti, R. Y. (1993). Making democracy work: Civic traditions in modern Italy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Queally, J. (2010, August). Newark anti-violence group holds 1-year anniversary march. www.nj.com/news/2010/08/newark_anti-violence_group_hol.htmlGoogle Scholar
Reiss, A. J. Jr., & Roth, J. A. (1994). Understanding and preventing violence, Vol. 4: Consequences and control. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.Google Scholar
Revenson, T. A., & Seidman, E. (2002). Looking backward and moving forward: Reflections on a quarter century of community psychology. In Revenson, T. A. et al. (Eds.), A quarter century of community psychology: Readings from the American Journal of Community Psychology (pp. 3–31). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rojas, R., & Atkinson, K. (2017, July). 50 years after the uprising: Five days of unrest that shaped, and haunted, Newark. The New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/nyregion/newark-riots-50-years.htmlGoogle Scholar
Sampson, R. J. (2001). How do communities undergird or undermine human development? Relevant contexts and social mechanisms. In Booth, A. & Crouter, A. (Eds.), Does it take a village? Community effects on children, adolescents, and family (pp. 3–30). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Sampson, R. J., & Groves, W. B. (1989). Community structure and crime: Testing social-disorganization theory. American Journal of Sociology, 94(4), 774–802. doi.org/10.1086/229068Google Scholar
Sampson, R. J., Raudenbush, S. W., & Earls, F. (1997). Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science, 277(5328), 918–924. doi.org/10.1126/science.277.5328.918Google Scholar
Sanzone, J., Weidman, M., & Doykos, B. (2016). Needs and segmentation analysis of the South Ward of Newark, New Jersey. https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/scmsAdmin/media/users/atn293/reval/needs_segmentation_alalysis_south_ward.pdfGoogle Scholar
Seidman, E., Yoshikawa, H., Roberts, A., et al. (1998). Structural and experiential neighborhood contexts, developmental stage, and antisocial behavior among urban adolescents in poverty. Development and Psychopathology, 10(2), 259–281. doi.org/10.1017/s0954579498001606Google Scholar
Serrano‐García, I. (2020). Resilience, coloniality, and sovereign acts: The role of community activism. American Journal of Community Psychology, 65(1–10). doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12415Google Scholar
Sexton, T. L. (2011). Functional family therapy in clinical practice: An evidence-based treatment model for working with troubled adolescents. New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.Google Scholar
Shaw, C. R., & McKay, H. D. (1942). Juvenile delinquency and urban areas. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Shihadeh, E. S., & Steffensmeier, D. J. (1994). Economic inequality, family disruption, and urban black violence: Cities as units of stratification and social control. Social Forces, 73(2), 729–751. doi.org/10.2307/2579828Google Scholar
Shoenwald, S. K., Henggeler, S. W., & Rowland, M. D. (2016). Multisystemic therapy. In Sexton, T. L. & Lebow, J. (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy (pp. 271–285). New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.Google Scholar
Smalls Glover, C., Smith, E., Yu, D., & Lewis, C. (2019). Families and community-based programs: Characteristics, engagement, and dissemination. In Fiese, B. H., Celano, M., Deater-Deckard, K., Jouriles, E. N., & Whisman, M. A. (Eds.), APA handbook of contemporary family psychology: Foundations, methods, and contemporary issues across the lifespan, Vol. 2. (pp. 351–364). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Stanton, M. (2009). The systemic epistemology of the specialty of family psychology. In Bray, J. H. & Stanton, M. (Eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of family psychology (pp. 5–20). Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stanton, M., & Welsh, R. (2011). Specialty competencies in couple and family psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Suyemoto, K. L., & Tree, C. A. F. (2006). Building bridges across differences to meet social action goals: Being and creating allies among people of color. American Journal of Community Psychology, 37(3–4), 237–246. doi.org/10.1007/s10464-006-9048-1Google Scholar
Taylor, R., Gottfredson, S., & Brower, S. (1984). Block crime and fear: Defensible space, local social ties and territorial functioning. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 21(4), 303–331. doi.org/10.1177/0022427884021004003Google Scholar
Thrasher, F. M. (1963). The gang: A study of 1313 gangs in Chicago (Rev. ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago. (Original work published 1927)Google Scholar
US Census Bureau. (n.d.). American community survey (ACS). www.census.gov/acs/www/data/data-tables-and-tools/data-profiles/2014/Google Scholar
US Census Bureau. (2016). LEHD origin-destination employment statistics (2002–2015). Washington, DC: US Census Bureau, Longitudinal-Employer Household Dynamics Program. https://onthemap.ces.census.govGoogle Scholar
US Census Bureau. (2017). American community survey (ACS). https://datausa.io/profile/geo/newark-nj/#aboutGoogle Scholar
US Census Bureau. (2019). Quick facts. Newark City, New Jersey. www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/newarkcitynewjersey/RHI525217#qf-headnote-aGoogle Scholar
US Department of Justice. (2014). Investigation of the Newark Police Department. United States Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey. www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2014/07/22/newark_findings_7-22-14.pdfGoogle Scholar
US Department of Justice. (2016). United States v. City of Newark. Consent decree.www.justice.gov/opa/file/836901/downloadGoogle Scholar
Wandersman, A., Andrews, A., Riddle, D., & Fancett, C. (1983). Environmental psychology and prevention. In Felner, R. et al. (Eds.), Preventive psychology: Theory, research and practice (pp. 104–127). New York: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Wandersman, A., & Nation, M. (1998). Urban neighborhoods and mental health: Psychological contributions to understanding toxicity, resilience, and interventions. American Psychologist, 53(6), 647–656. doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.53.6.647Google Scholar
White, M., Kasl, S. V., Zahner, G. E., & Will, J. C. (1987). Perceived crime in the neighborhood and mental health of women and children. Environment and Behavior, 19(5), 588–613. doi.org/10.1177/0013916587195003Google Scholar
Wilson, W. J. (2012). The truly disadvantaged: The inner city, the underclass, and public policy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Witherspoon, D., & Ennett, S. (2011). An examination of social disorganization and pluralistic neighborhood theories with rural mothers and their adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(9), 1243–1253. doi.org/10.1007/s10964-009-9499-4Google Scholar
Zanbar, L., & Itzhaky, H. (2013). Community activists’ competence: The contributing factors. Journal of Community Psychology, 41(2), 249–263. doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21527Google Scholar
Zinzow, H. M., Ruggiero, K. J., Resnick, H., et al. (2009). Prevalence and mental health correlates of witnessed parental and community violence in a national sample of adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50(4), 441–450. doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.02004.xGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×