Programs and Services for Black Male Survivors of Community Violence: What’s Effective?

Abstract

Black adolescents are exposed disproportionately to community violence. The high rate of community violence victimization among black males is an urgent issue, and the paucity of evidence-based programs/services to meet their needs is unsatisfactory. Community violence victimization can have a lifelong impact on a young person’s functioning (World Health Organization 2016; Guerra and Dierkhising 2011). A concerted effort is needed to link black male survivors of community violence to services that can help them begin to heal and protect them from the risks of victimization. This study used two established evidence based registries to describe the programs and practices that have been rated effective for black males who are survivors of community violence victimization. Results highlight the critical need for the development and evaluation of programs and practices that meet the specific needs of black males.