Operation Ceasefire Boston, otherwise known as Boston Miracle, is a problem-solving police initiative undertaken in Boston in 1996 to tackle the pressing issue of gun violence and illegal gun possession. Even though one of the program’s objectives was to take punitive measures against offenders, the end goal of Operation Ceasefire was to prevent crimes (Braga, Hureau, & Papachristos, 2014). When elaborating a crime prevention strategy, the Boston police operated on the premise that the costs of committing a crime would outweigh potential benefits (Sugimoto-Matsuda & Braun, 2014). This paper will provide a brief evaluation of the present program.
Evaluating a program is a complex process that an evaluand needs to approach with utmost consideration. According to Rossi, Lipsey, and Henry (2018), an evaluation starts with outlining evaluation questions answering which an expert might assess the program performance adequately. In the case of Operation Ceasefire, the initial evaluation question might sound as follows: “Will introducing a prevention program supported by the police and local authorities (stakeholders) help tackle gun violence (specific, measurable characteristic) in Boston, Massachusetts (the community in need)?”
The evaluative performance criterion for the program is operationalized as a reduction in youth homicides, gun assaults, and shots-fired calls for service. Based on the requirements outlined by Rossy et al. (2018), the outcomes of the program are satisfactory. The needs and wants of the target population were met since they could enjoy improved safety, and namely, a 63% reduction in youth homicides and 25% in city gun assaults (Braga, 2017).
The police met the stated goals and objectives in alignment with federal standards and upheld ethical and moral values by promoting peace in the community. Lastly, Operation Ceasefire was not only a one-time success: it had lasting impacts on years to come with crime rates gradually lowering throughout the 90s and early 2000s.
References
Braga, A. A., Hureau, D. M., & Papachristos, A. V. (2014). Deterring gang-involved gun violence: Measuring the impact of Boston’s Operation Ceasefire on street gang behavior. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 30(1), 113-139.
Braga, A. A. (2017). Long-term trends in the sources of Boston crime guns. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 3(5), 76-95.
Rossi, P. H., Lipsey, M. W., & Henry, G. T. (2003). Evaluation: A systematic approach (7th ed.). New York City, NY: SAGE Publications.
Sugimoto-Matsuda, J. J., & Braun, K. L. (2014). The role of collaboration in facilitating policy change in youth violence prevention: A review of the literature. Prevention science, 15(2), 194-204.