Chicago Program Combats Teen Violence With CBT
A Chicago-based violence prevention initiative is pairing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with intensive mentoring for at-risk teens. Early evidence indicates the trauma-informed, relationship-based model is reducing incarceration rates and supporting trauma recovery, offering a potential framework for addressing executive function challenges in students with complex needs.
- The program, known as READI (Rapid Employment and Development Initiative) Chicago, was launched in 2017 and is administered by Metropolitan Family Services in partnership with community-based organizations. It specifically targets men at the highest risk of gun violence involvement. - A key component of the READI model is providing 18 months of subsidized employment alongside cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other social supports. As of June 2020, the program had invested over $9.5 million directly to participants through wages and other support. - Research by the University of Chicago Crime Lab found that participants in READI who were referred by community outreach workers had 79% fewer arrests for shootings and homicides. - Another similar Chicago-based program, "Choose to Change" (C2C), was developed in 2015 by Brightpoint and Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP). It provides trauma-informed CBT and intensive mentoring to youth on the city's south and west sides. - A study on the C2C program showed that participants were 39% less likely to be arrested for a violent crime within two years of starting the program. For every dollar invested in READI, the societal benefits are estimated to be between $3.50 and $17.70 due to reduced costs associated with crime. - The "Becoming a Man" (BAM) program, developed by the nonprofit Youth Guidance, also uses a CBT-based model and has been found to reduce violent crime arrests among participants by nearly 50%. - Funding for these programs comes from a mix of private philanthropy and public sources. For instance, in 2022, READI's budget was $20 million, primarily from private donors, with a smaller fraction from the City of Chicago. - The University of Chicago Crime Lab is a key research partner for many of these initiatives, conducting large-scale randomized controlled trials to evaluate their effectiveness on violence reduction and criminal justice involvement.
