Abstract
Purpose of Book
Preventing Lethal Violence in New Orleans, A Great American City by Lydia Voigt, Dee Wood Harper, and William E. Thornton, Jr., has an anthology approach. It consists of nine different presentations and an epilogue relevant to lethality in certain areas within New Orleans. The criminal justice faculty at Loyola University New Orleans was tasked with bringing national experts and practitioners on campus to engage in discussion and share best practices. This book is a result of a conference which was entitled Preventing Lethal Violence in New Orleans. This 2-day conference during October 2012 was held on the campus of Loyola University New Orleans.
Structure and Organization
Each chapter and presentation provides well-written and insightful information designed to alleviate, at least in part, the lethality of certain New Orleans areas. It is likely that some or all of these presentations and writings will produce ideas, thoughts, views, and concepts about the alleviation of lethality. Time is spent comparing other major cities concerning lethality issues; however, focus is clearly on New Orleans.
Analysis of Content and Substance
Chapter 1 entitled New Orleans Homicide in Historical Perspective describes at least 100 years of racial discrimination as a reason for problems in New Orleans. This well-researched and historical view serves as a partial precursor to other chapters of this book. Chapter 2, New Orleans Neighborhood Patterns of Homicide and Key Structural and Cultural Linkages 1940–2013, was written by those persons also serving as editors of this book. This worthy and well-studied presentation discusses lethality both before and after the Katrina disaster. It is noted that serious challenges remain in New Orleans. Some of these challenges include the existence in certain areas of a culture of violence, significant rates of trauma, and associated mental health disorders. Further, authors discuss problems due to a lack of resources because of health-care budget cuts. A bottom-up approach is suggested as necessary to help inform proactivity. Authors also note a historic distrust of New Orleans public processes in specific locations within this city.
Chapter 3 is entitled The Chain of Violence and the Lessons for New Orleans. This discussion is well analyzed and thorough. Chapter 3 considers violence as a chain with the necessity of intervention at the beginning. The three interactional contexts of structural, institutional, and interpersonal are presented. This presentation argues for a shift in resource focus.
Chapter 4 presents The Public Health Approach to Violence Prevention. This well-presented and evocative analysis describes contrasts between a public health approach and that commonly taken by both criminology and criminal justice. The author proposes a paradigm shift away from criminology and criminal justice toward public health. The author argues that the public health approach focuses on prevention.
Criminal Homicide and Firearms in New Orleans is the fifth chapter. In this chapter, the authors bring a deep and meaningful analysis of how firearms are related to criminal homicide in New Orleans. This presentation notes that approximately 90% of all homicides reviewed by the author were committed by firearms. The author then suggests tactics to address these issues. Tactics such as the patrol of hot spots and traffic enforcement are discussed. The author also discusses a focus on high-risk persons rather than places. Tailoring solutions to the community and working with residents is a start to any successful solution.
Chapter 6, Intimate Partner Homicide in New Orleans, provides a significant and methodical commentary on the nature of certain violence in certain New Orleans areas. This presentation focuses on intimate partners. In an in-depth analysis of this subsection concerning New Orleans lethality, the author discusses resource allocation. In addition, the author states that victim services and criminal justice policies are in need of evaluation with greater support, as it relates to intimate partner violence.
Chapter 7 entitled Life and Death in the Big Easy: Homicide and Lethality in Twenty-First Century New Orleans presents well and fully the concept of lethal violence as it exists in certain areas of contemporary New Orleans. Lethality research is used to identify homicides as the end result of a social process involving interaction between victims and offenders. Interaction may also be present with an audience involving specific locations and times. These authors bring notable contributions to the overall problem of lethality in certain New Orleans locations. Underlying social mechanisms producing high homicide rates are discussed in new and innovative ways.
The commentary captured in Chapter 8 is called The Importance of Communication, Coordination, and Context in Reducing Lethal Violence. This important chapter analyzes the need for law enforcement to take an active role in reducing homicides. The discussion focuses on the use of communication, coordination, and context to effect such a reduction. The advantage of police and researcher partnerships in dealing with lethality is also made a part of this presentation.
The final presentation encapsulated in this book by Chapter 9 is entitled The Future of Lethal Violence Abatement in New Orleans. This presentation brings a robust and unique view toward the issue of lethality in specific New Orleans areas. The author focuses on four primary strategies to reduce lethality in New Orleans. Such strategies as rebuilding the New Orleans Police Department and a multiagency approach to city gangs are analyzed. Another part of this examination deals with the use of advanced social network analysis. Also discussed and thoroughly scrutinized is the use of sophisticated citizen satisfaction and public perception survey of the New Orleans Police Department.
Lastly, the editors and authors present a compelling epilogue New Orleans: A Great American City. This epilogue addresses issues concerning social inequality or injustice. The epilogue further indicates that until such time as social inequality and injustice is addressed, New Orleans will be unable to resolve crime issues with arrests. New Orleans citizens must be valued and provided opportunities.
Summary and Conclusion
The goal of the editors was to shine innovative light on both problems and solutions regarding lethality in New Orleans. As noted at the beginning of this review, the criminal justice faculty at Loyola University New Orleans was tasked with bringing national experts and practitioners together. These national experts and practitioners were to engage in discussions while sharing best practices that may be directed toward addressing lethality. This book is the result of a 2-day conference, which was entitled Preventing Lethal Violence in New Orleans.
The anthology approach contained in this book with each chapter discussing a different topic written by diverse authors supports important and key strengths. The nine different presentations are designed to help alleviate lethality experienced in certain specific areas of New Orleans. If you view New Orleans as a proxy for other areas, the presentations contained herein could provide avenues toward lethality solutions. Each significant, worthy, well written, and important presentation contained herein could produce a resolution or approach to a solution concerning lethality. Attention should be paid to every chapter of the book: Preventing Lethal Violence in New Orleans, A Great American City.