University of Chicago says a CPS mentoring program drastically reduces arrests for violent crime

Two years ago, Leeah was in a bad place.

“I was really out of control. My behavior was really bad. I had outbursts and I was angry all the time. I had just got kicked out of another school I was attending,” said Leeah, whose last name WBEZ has decided not to publish.

But then, Leeah joined a mentoring program at her new high school on Chicago’s South Side, called Choose to Change. The program provides a safe space for students with similar behavior issues to talk about their feelings and what they are going through.

“It’s like a therapy session. We talk about family issues, health issues, mental issues. We sit up there and listen to each other talk and give each other feedback or advice that they can use to help themselves,” Leeah said. “Being around them has made me a better person.”

A study released today by the University of Chicago Crime Lab indicates the program, which focuses on students in danger of disconnecting from school, is having a positive impact on many of the young people who participate, including reducing the likelihood they’ll be arrested.

The University of Chicago developed the program, along with Brightpoint and Youth Advocate Programs, with the goal of reducing gun violence among young people. According to the Crime Lab, participants in the program are 39 percent less likely to be arrested for a violent crime within 24 months after completion, compared to youth not offered the program.

“The most exciting thing that we’re seeing is both short-term and long-term reductions in the likelihood of being arrested, as well as reductions in being arrested for a violent offense,” said Dr. Nour Abdul-Razzak, research director of the Inclusive Economy Lab at the University of Chicago and lead author of the study.

Youth in the program receive intensive mentoring from advocates, who are professionally trained mentors and largely come from the same backgrounds and communities as the youth they mentor.

“I think what we were surprised to see was the long, lasting effects of the program,” Abdul-Razzak said. “Even after three years after the program starts, we’re still seeing a sustained and persistent effect.”

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David R. Williams, chief program officer with Youth Advocate Programs, said the study shows there is a need for a “community-based, wraparound” approach, coupled with cognitive behavior therapy, to help kids most at risk of being involved in gun violence.

The program, William said, improves school attendance and engagement with family.

“One of the things that we found in the young people that we serve is that they’ve experienced a minimum of seven traumatic events. Trauma has an impact. You can see the effects of trauma,” Williams said. “They’ve experienced a lot. They need that clinical support, and they also need the relationships in the community to help them navigate those experiences.”

Jadine Chou, chief of safety and security for CPS, said the program has served more than 5,000 young people so far. She said the mentoring sessions take place inside high schools, often at lunch.

“They get together with their cohort, they’ll have lunch and they’ll do their sessions, and then they’ll go back to school. It’s really a good way to break things up, and it really gives students something to look forward to,” Chou said. “They make new friends and they build relationships with their mentor. It’s another adult in the building that they can relate to and have someone they can go to if they have issues.”

Chou said she’s seen firsthand the way the program can change how young people think and perceive things.

“It helps them make better decisions, and it helps them slow down their thinking. It gives them skills that they then can apply if they find themselves in situations where they’re in conflicts,” Chou said.

WBEZ’s Michael Puente is an anchor and reporter on the Criminal Justice team. Follow him on X at @MikePuenteNews.