1. ^aGeorgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
2. ^bOld Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA
3. ^cUniversity of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA

Correspondence: Brian K. Payne, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA. E-mail: bpayne@gsu.edu

Abstract

This article describes a recent project in which the authors worked with policy makers, practitioners, and citizens to develop a youth violence prevention plan in a small but significantly growing rural city. The authors participated in an "empowered approach" to research youth violence in the city and made recommendations about strategies to prevent future youth violence. Characteristics of the approach are discussed along with the individual, community-level, and empirical themes that arose during the research and planning process. The strengths of using an empowered approach to study crime and develop response mechanisms are considered. The article concludes with recommendations for ways that other criminologists can use a similar approach in other jurisdictions.