CE25-021 - Development and Rigorous Evaluation of Culturally Grounded Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design for Lakota Youth on a Rural Reservation

About This Grant

Project Summary Interpersonal community violence (ICV; e.g., assaults, homicides, violence between groups, and threats/use of weapons) is a public health crisis among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) peoples including youth in the U.S. Lakota youth who reside on the rural and impoverished Pine Ridge Reservation (PRR) are no exception. Despite research documenting contextual (e.g., structural racism, colonization and multiple historical traumas), risk (e.g., alcohol and drug use), and protective (e.g., cultural identity) factors for ICV among AI/AN youth, we know little about how to prevent ICV among AI/AN youth. A potentially promising approach to prevent ICV in tribal communities is crime prevention through environmental design CPTED. CPTED integrates physical (e.g., lighting) and, more recently social (e.g., community engagement) strategies to prevent crime, including ICV. Busy Streets Theory (BST) is a conceptualization of CPTED focused on local community engagement that fosters community ownership and allows for tailoring physical changes to community interests and culture, and creating positive social capital. BST aligns strongly with Lakota cultural teachings. In response to CDC RFA- CE-25-021 (Objectives 1, 2, and 3), the purpose of the current study is to examine how a place-based, community-led, and culturally CPTED activities may prevent and reduce ICV on the PRR. Using community- based participatory action research (CBPAR), we will develop (Aim 1) the CPTED project, preliminary entitled The Wancantognaka Project (The Generosity Project; TGP). In addition to culturally grounded CPTED projects (e.g., community gardens with traditional Lakota methods and foods, building inipis (sweat lodges) for ceremony), TGP will include program sessions for youth (ages 13 to 19) taught by Lakota adults, including Elders. Further, using the RE-AIM framework, we will collect implementation and community acceptance and perceived impact data and document costs (Aim 2). We will also assess youth outcomes (Aim 3) via surveys (baseline, immediate post, and 6- and 12- month follow-ups) that assess risk (e.g., 7 C’s of positive youth development, cultural identity, social support) and protective (e.g., alcohol and drug use, violent behaviors) factors. Finally, using police incident data, we will assess the impact of CPTED on rates of community violence (Aim 4). For Aims 3 and 4, we will utilize a longitudinal quasi-experimental design in which the community on the PRR implementing CPTED will be compared on youth (ages 13 to 19; N=320; 160 per community) and community outcomes (crime rates 48 bi-weekly intervals pre TGP and 24 bi-weekly intervals post TGP) to another community on the PRR (similar in terms of demographics and crime rates) not receiving CPTED. The proposed study is highly aligned with the Healthy People 2030 priority area of injury and violence prevention as well as the NCIPC’s goal to conduct rigorous research to expand and advance an understanding of approaches to prevent ICV and to eliminate racial inequities in risk for ICV.