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Erika Gebo

Professor of Sociology, Suffolk University
Chapter Member: Boston SSN
Areas of Expertise:

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About Erika

Gebo's research focuses on how diverse entities within communities collaborate to address crime and violence as well as how youth violence and juvenile justice is meted out. Overarching themes in Gebo's research involve a close scrutiny of policies and programs from a multi-disciplinary perspective. Gebo is particularly interested in how the most serious forms of violence, including gang violence, are approached. Gebo is a frequent collaborator and principal investigator on federal, state, and local projects aimed at reducing crime and violence.

Contributions

How Addressing Victimization Can Help Reduce Violence

Publications

"Improving Interorganizational Collaborations: An Experiment in an Interdisciplinary Crime Reduction Context," (with Brenda J. Bond), Suffolk University, under review.

Expands on applied work with interorganizational partnerships. Describes an experiment conducted with four cities in Massachusetts as a way to increase communication and coordination on gang and youth violence reduction initiatives.

"An Integrated Public Health and Criminal Justice Approach to Gangs: What Can Research Tell Us?" Preventative Medicine Reports 4 (December 2016): 376-380.

Identifies ways in which our approach to gangs and gang violence could be better addressed by aligning public health and criminal justice approaches that are rooted in research.

"Comparing Determinants of Effective Collaboration in a Comprehensive Crime Reduction Initiative" (with Brenda J. Bond). Journal of Policy Practice 15, no. 3 (2016): 212-232.

Notes that there is a call from policymakers for communities to work collaboratively to ameliorate social problems; yet, collaborating is arguably one of the most difficult tasks of partnerships. Examines interorganizational crime reduction partnerships, identifying strengths and challenges.

"Preventing Gang Violence" (with Ellen E. Foley and Laurie Ross), in Oxford Textbook of Violence Prevention: Epidemiology, Evidence, and Policy, edited by Peter D. Donnelly and Catherine L. Ward (Oxford University Press, November 2014), 213-217.

Discusses how gang violence can be prevented for the World Health Organization audience. Identifies what is known on the topic from a cross-cultural perspective.

"A Statewide Comparison of Gang and Non-Gang Youth in Public High Schools " (with Christopher J. Sullivan). Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 12, no. 3 (2014): 191-208.

Shows via empirical investigation of gang versus non-gang youth in high schools that gang youth, in general, are significantly more likely to have been victimized and to be dealing with mental and physical health issues. Points to the need to address those aspects of youths' lives, rather than a sole focus on offending patterns.

Looking Beyond Suppression: Community Strategies to Reduce Gang Violence (edited with Brenda J. Bond) (Lexington Books, 2012).

Identifies the ways in which Massachusetts has tried to collaboratively reduce gang and youth violence, highlighting the work of various cities around the state.