BACKGROUND: The City of Cleveland has recently been experiencing an increase in violent crimes and gun violence. Many of the stories of violence in Cleveland are among young adults. This has prompted a closer look into youth violence in the city. Political and community leaders have been considering taking a public health approach to addressing violence. Within these contexts, the Cleveland Department of Public Health (CDPH) examined youth violence to gain a better understanding of how youth violence affects specific neighborhoods and political wards in Cleveland, OH.
METHODS: Youth violence data (2013) were from the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court through the Northeast Ohio Community and Neighborhood Data for Organizing (NEOCANDO) at Case Western Reserve University. Youth violence rates are defined as the number of offenses divided by the teen population aged 10-17 per 1,000 population. ArcGIS v.10.3.1 (Esri, Redlands, CA) was used for all mapping. All non-violence data layers were obtained through City of Cleveland Planning Commission and City of Cleveland GIS Department.
RESULTS: The neighborhood of Goodrich-Kirtland had the highest rates of the following youth violence indicators: delinquency offenses (555.96), violent offenses (280.1), assaults (118.83), domestic violence (106.1), and sexual assaults (16.98). The St. Clair-Superior neighborhood had the highest rate of weapon law violations (12.07). The Goodrich-Kirtland and St. Clair-Superior neighborhoods are adjacent to each other. Political Ward 7 had the highest rates of the delinquency offenses (158.23), violent offenses (79.4), assaults (31.53), domestic violence assaults (21.4), and sexual assaults (6.19). Political Ward 1 had the highest rate of weapon law violations (4.67). Part of the Goodrich-Kirtland neighborhood is within the political Ward 7. However, the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood and political Ward 1 are located on opposite sides of the city.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this analysis will be shared with the CDPH Healthy Cleveland Violence Subcommittee, which was created to address violence as a public health concern. These results will assist with prioritizing law enforcement and community policing resources. Members of the community will also use the data to assist with grants, research, and increased awareness. The neighborhoods and political wards most affected need to invest more resources in keeping youth engaged in school and other activities.