Assessment of youth and gang violence in Columbia and Richland County

Abstract

Columbia Mayor Robert Coble called for the creation of a comprehensive response initiative to address gang and youth violence in Columbia and Richland County. The Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina and Benedict College were subsequently requested to conduct the assessment, and on May 15, 2007 the Columbia City Council approved the funding of this effort. This document represents the final assessment report pursuant to this research agreement. The overall goal of this assessment was to explore the nature, extent, and characteristics of gang and youth violence in the Columbia-Richland County metropolitan area.