RCT of a Youth-Focused Hotspot Policing Intervention (YPOP)

Problem

Law enforcement agencies lack evidence-based strategies designed specifically for engaging with youth in high-crime areas.

Youth between 16 and 24 years old are more likely to experience contact with the police than members of any other age group. These interactions matter: officers are typically a young person’s first point of contact with the justice system and can significantly influence how other decision-makers handle their case.

Problem-oriented policing (POP)—an approach where officers identify underlying conditions that contribute to crime and develop tailored responses rather than simply reacting to incidents—has shown promise in reducing crime generally. However, POP strategies have rarely been adapted specifically for youth populations, and few interventions focus on promoting positive interactions between young people and officers. The National Institute of Justice sought to test whether youth-focused POP strategies could reduce crime while building stronger relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

Solution

NORC and its partners conducted a randomized controlled trial testing youth-focused problem-oriented policing strategies in crime hotspots.

Funded by the National Institute of Justice, NORC partnered with Rutgers University and Clarus Research to evaluate whether concentrating proactive policing strategies in specific high-crime areas—combined with training officers on youth engagement—could reduce crime and benefit communities, youth, and officers alike.

We randomly assigned 137 crime hotspots in Cumberland County, New Jersey, to three study conditions:

Problem-oriented policing strategies only
POP strategies combined with officer training in youth interactions
Regular patrol (control group)

We collected data through youth and officer surveys, qualitative interviews, focus groups, and official crime records. Our analysis compared outcomes across the three conditions, including youth crime and victimization rates, officers’ attitudes and skills, and young people’s experiences with and perceptions of law enforcement.

Result

The study identified modest effects on property crime and key factors that support or hinder youth-focused problem-oriented policing.

The intervention did not produce statistically significant effects on violent crime, though we observed a trending reduction in property crime in hotspots receiving the most intensive intervention. Low overall crime levels at study sites and lower-than-expected implementation of the problem-oriented policing strategies contributed to these limited effects.

Survey data revealed generally neutral community perceptions of law enforcement that were consistent before and after the intervention, suggesting the intervention did not have any negative “backfire” effects on community sentiment towards police. s. Interviews revealed multiple factors that facilitated or hindered implementation: public perceptions of police legitimacy, justice system diversion policies, community support, agency leadership, available resources, and individual officer characteristics.

These findings help law enforcement agencies understand the conditions needed to implement youth-focused strategies effectively and inform efforts to reduce youth crime and build positive community relationships.