Third-Party Homicides
Black children and youth are often victims of violence. We aim to prevent and interrupt violence before, during and after it occurs.A third-party homicide is the killing of a child by a person with or without malice aforethought, where the perpetrator was not the primary caregiver. This can include crimes such as youth-on-youth gang violence or drunk-driving fatalities.
Why are third-party homicides a focus area?
When Black youth grow up in unsafe neighborhoods that have been intentionally excluded from economic opportunities, dangers like gang violence and drunk driving can be exacerbated. Research shows that 75% of third-party homicides of Black children occurred in youth 15 to 17 years of age. Meeting these needs on a local level requires in-depth knowledge of neighborhood dynamics and a commitment to mentorship, community and safety. We recognize the urgent need to provide safe, supportive programs and spaces for Black young people, as well as ongoing crisis prevention, interruption and intervention. With initiatives like Healing the Hood and Kings and Queens Rise, BCLC helped bring the countywide youth homicide rate to zero in 2019.
BCLC provides community support to prevent violence before it occurs.
Healing the Hood
Our Healing the Hood initiative brings together a network of trained crisis intervention workers to prevent and interrupt violence before, during and after it occurs.
Kings & Queens Rise
Our Kings & Queens Rise Co-ed Youth Sports and Mentoring League engages youth in safe, supportive inter-neighborhood sports to build connections throughout the summer.
Supportive Organizations
My Brother's Keeper (MBK) Sacramento
My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Sacramento is bringing systems leaders, advocates, community partners, youth-serving organizations and young people together to address health, education, employment and justice system disparities for young men of color through policy advocacy, systems change and support for effective programs.
Ballout Academy
Ballout Academy empowers Sacramento youth through mentorship, athletics, and family support to build confidence, achieve goals, and become leaders in their community
Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento offers nationally recognized, evidence-based programs tailored to local communities and youth ages 6–18, empowering them to succeed in school, lead healthy lives and grow into caring, responsible citizens.
City of Sacramento Office of Violence Prevention
The City of Sacramento Office of Violence Prevention coordinates a comprehensive effort to address youth and gang violence.
Sacramento Works
SETA’s Sacramento Works provides job search assistance, linkages to community resources, career development workshops, resume writing, interview skills, and access to information on education and employment opportunities.
Sacramento County Youth Services Unit
Sacramento County Youth Services Unit includes programs for youth involving mentoring and leadership, sports and community outreach.
Sacramento Youth Violence Prevention Collective
Health Ed Council’s Sacramento Youth Violence Prevention Collective is aimed at addressing violence by integrating public health and local community policing efforts in a coordinated violence prevention approach.
Youth Employment Opportunity Program
The Employment Development Department’s Youth Employment Opportunity Program provides special services to youth between the ages of 15 and 25 to assist them in achieving their educational and vocational goals.
Always Knocking, Inc.
Always Knocking, Inc. supports at-risk and incarcerated youth by providing mentorship, education, life skills and violence prevention to inspire positive change and brighter futures.
Movement 4 Life
Movement 4 Life reduces community gun violence by mentoring high-risk youth and young adults through healing-centered, culturally responsive support, life skills, and employment training to promote wellness and nonviolent paths forward.
Research and studies
- Changing the discourse about community violence: To prevent it, we have to talk about it (.pdf)
- Preventing Gang Violence and Building Communities Where Young People Thrive (.pdf)
- Developing a Successful Street Outreach Program: Recommendations and Lessons Learned (.pdf)
- Teen Action Toolkit, Building a Youth-Led Response to Teen Victimization (.pdf)
- Youth Thrive: A Framework to Help Adolescents Overcome Trauma and Thrive (.pdf)
- Dismantling the Pipeline, Addressing the Needs of Young Women and Girls of Color Involved in Intervening Public Systems (.pdf)