Implementation Evaluation of a Program to Assist Victims of Violent Crime: Staff and Stakeholder Feedback

Introduction

We conducted an implementation evaluation of the East St. Louis Community Engagement Response Team (ESL CERT), a police-led deflection program designed to support victims of violent crime. Developed in partnership with the Illinois State Police (ISP), the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), and Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC), the program connect individuals to community-based services through non-enforcement engagement. Engagement Specialists (ESs) serve as the bridge between law enforcement and local service providers, providing case management and service referrals. ESL CERT is part of a larger project to implement deflection programs across Illinois. Table 1 shares information on program sites. ESL CERT is unique among these IDHS-funded deflection programs in that it addresses victims of violent crimes. While this is a nontraditional focus for deflection programs, victims of violent crimes still have contact with a police officer. They can benefit from many services, including mental health services, domestic violence services, and grief counseling. Our evaluation examined how well the ESL CERT program facilitates collaboration between law enforcement, ESs, and service providers; the extent to which victims engage with services; the barriers that may limit successful engagement; and stakeholder perceptions of the program’s overall impact.

Table 1

State Deflection Program Sites

Note. The seven sites that were active as of April 2025. Date Started is when law enforcement began referring individuals to the program. SUD = substance use disorder

Background

Deflection programs are a public health and public safety model that connect people with services and support outside of the criminal legal system. Traditional deflection programs redirect people away from further involvement in the criminal legal system and toward community-based services that address underlying needs—such as mental health conditions or substance use—rather than punitive enforcement strategies (Charlier & Reichert, 2021). Some deflection programs have extended this model to support people who have been harmed by violence, though this departs from traditional deflection practices. This approach is grounded in research on the cycle of violence, which has shown that people who experience violence are at greater risk of being criminalized later in life (Browne et al., 1999; DeHart, 2008; Macmillan, 2001). Victim-centered deflection programs aim to center the rights, voices, and unique needs of people who have experienced harm in the support and intervention process.

Launched in January 2022, ESL CERT was developed in response to high rates of violent crime in East St. Louis and a desire to provide trauma-informed support to crime victims. Although deflection programs typically focus on individuals with substance use disorders, ESL CERT is notable for its focus on victims of violent crime, including those affected by shootings, domestic violence, and homicide. ISP officers from the Public Safety Enforcement Group (PSEG) refer victims to ESs at TASC Inc., who then contact participants to offer voluntary services. If the participant consents, the ESs coordinate referrals and provide ongoing case management. Figure 1 depicts the flow of those processes in ESL CERT. Between January 2022 and December 2024, 560 individuals were referred to the program; 18% chose to participate, resulting in 102 active clients. Most participants were Black, non-Hispanic women with an average age of 40.

Figure 1

ESL CERT Program Flow Chart

Note. PSEG is the Illinois State Police Public Safety Enforcement Group.

Methodology

For this process evaluation, we used a three-pronged methodology to obtain feedback from and measure collaboration among key stakeholders of ESL CERT. Methods included:

• An online collaboration survey of 11 stakeholders and staff members, including law enforcement officers, social service providers, and TASC, Inc. ESs.
• A field visit to the PSEG office and the TASC, Inc. office that serves as ESs’ base of operations.
• Virtual interviews with five staff members and six stakeholders to elicit feedback on the program’s development, operations, collaborations, and perceived effectiveness; Table 2 shows demographics of interviewees.

Table 2

Characteristics of Interview Participants

Note. The sample size was 11.

Key Findings

Collaboration Survey

Responses to the collaboration inventory tool indicated moderate levels of collaboration, and ESs generally rated collaboration more positively than other stakeholders did. Overall, respondents thought there was an appropriate cross-section of relevant organizations and acknowledged that their organization directly benefited from the collaboration. However, concerns included limited prior community collaboration, unclear roles, duplication of efforts, and insufficient funding. Table 3 presents mean scores for the 22 collaborative factors, each comprising 1 to 3 items in the survey.

Table 3

Participant Scores by Collaboration Factors

Note. Participant responses to the Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory.

Field Visits

Field visit conversations revealed that PSEG officers perceived the program to have reduced crime and increased community engagement. Officers noted that they supported expanding the program to neighboring communities. ESs reported challenges with service provider responsiveness, unclear program policies, and a lack of training specific to working with crime victims. Staff noted they frequently worked with victims of domestic violence, which limited their ability to visit program participants in their homes. The field visit also uncovered staff concerns about pre- and post-tests for recently victimized participants, which led us to make adjustments.

Staff and Stakeholder Interviews

During stakeholder interviews, law enforcement officers expressed appreciation for the TASC Center for Health and Justice’s leadership in the program development process. Several service providers echoed this sentiment; however, one provider expressed concern about having a law enforcement-centered program operating in a predominantly Black community with a history of negative experiences with police. Several service providers noted that the program development process was not as responsive to their needs and their input as they would have liked, with one stating,

And no one asked [what was needed], or even if they asked, they didn’t acknowledge it. That happened a lot. You would ask questions or make a point, and then it was not acknowledged, or there was no follow-through.

As the program became operational, law enforcement, service providers, and ESs continued to meet virtually once a month. Staff and stakeholders noted that these meetings were insufficient to build a robust collaborative network among program partners. Service providers indicated that collaboration could be strengthened through additional check-in meetings among program stakeholders, particularly by switching to in-person gatherings. As one provider emphasized:

I think what is missing is relational. I think referrals are relational. I think you send referrals to people you know and you trust, right? And so, I think although we spent a lot of time over Zoom, I think that would have gone differently had we done the meetings in person.

During the stakeholder interviews, law enforcement and service providers praised program staff and saw the program as promising, but noted collaboration issues, including strained relationships and inconsistent engagement. Law enforcement recommended that staff increase the number of home visits they make, noting that a lack of in-person visits could be a barrier to program engagement, with one officer stating,

I think that one barrier is the fact that they don’t make site visits…. So only being restricted to making phone calls, although it is probably the safest route, but only making phone calls is one [barrier], because some people may be better with a face-to-face [interactions].

In their interviews, program staff shared the potential risks of conducting home visits, but noted they may also be a promising approach to supporting victims and warrant further consideration. Staff identified burnout as a significant barrier to the continued operation of the ESL CERT program, and attributed this to several participant-related challenges, including:

• Participants with disconnected phone numbers.
• Participants who were angry or described as “vengeful.”
• Individuals who preferred that TASC provide direct services, rather than referrals.
• Participants who were dissatisfied with their referred service providers.

A law enforcement officer acknowledged that some frustration with engaging potential program participants could be due to barriers in the referral process. The program design involved PSEG reviewing and submitting referrals in batches every few weeks, resulting in delays between the initial incident and the ESs receiving the referral information. The officer recommended that the referral process include an alternative method for line officers to submit referrals directly to TASC ESs.

Echoing conversations during the field visits, both PSEG officers and TASC ESs suggested that neighboring communities would benefit from receiving deflection services and recommended expanding the program to encompass nearby police departments. Interviewers also asked ESs what additional support they could use. Unanimously, they mentioned that they would benefit from having petty cash and bus passes available to give to program participants. They noted that some community services provided bus passes, which can reduce barriers and help build rapport. They indicated that petty cash would help participants address their most immediate needs, such as purchasing groceries.

TASC Inc. held a week-long training for ESs, which participants found informative. However, as noted during the field visits, additional training was needed to address the specific needs of a program serving victims of violent crime. ESs hired after the training expressed a desire to attend a similar training session; however, a briefer set of workshops, rather than the entire week of training, could be sufficient.

Recommendations

We recommend the following for programmatic enhancement:

• Conduct an assessment of community needs and assets before program planning.
• Increase stakeholder engagement, clarify roles and responsibilities, build trust, reduce service duplication, and provide partners with feedback on referrals.
• Improve the referral process to enhance coordination and reduce delays.
• Consider adding services to neighboring areas, providing material supports (e.g., petty cash, bus passes), and increasing community awareness.
• Provide staff with ongoing training on trauma and cultural responsiveness, improve data entry to support ongoing evaluation, and reconsider the use of home visits.

The ESL CERT program innovatively addressed the needs of crime victims through non-enforcement engagement, practical ES efforts, and strong stakeholder support. With improvements targeted to the challenges encountered in this early implementation, ESL CERT could serve as a promising model for victim-centered deflection efforts in other jurisdictions.

Conclusion

Overall, findings from the collaboration survey, field visits, and stakeholder interviews suggest that while the program fostered moderate collaboration and was viewed positively by ESs and law enforcement, several barriers limited its full potential. Strong leadership, shared purpose, and organizational representation supported collaboration, yet issues such as unclear roles, limited community history of collaboration, and insufficient funding hindered effectiveness. Interview data further highlighted concerns about communication, engagement, and the relational aspects of partnership, particularly the need for more in-person interaction and tailored training. Addressing these challenges through clearer structures, additional resources, and deeper relationship-building may enhance collaboration and program impact moving forward.