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Scranton outlines community violence intervention plan; Social Contract to help form nonprofit 'backbone' and seat a board
Summary
City and county officials and Social Contract presented a 'Pathways to Safer Communities' plan funded initially with ARPA dollars; partners will incorporate a nonprofit backbone, appoint a board (about 15 nominees), and hire an executive director to coordinate prevention and intervention work across stakeholders.
City officials, the Scranton Police Department and consultants from Social Contract presented a community violence intervention and prevention initiative during the council caucus. Alicia Nichols of Social Contract described the planning process, stakeholder engagement and the resulting 'Pathways to Safer Communities' plan.
Chief Tom Carroll said the effort grew from concerns about juvenile violence and a stabbing near Scranton High School in 2022 and emphasized that policing alone cannot solve underlying community problems. Social Contract said it engaged more than 40 stakeholders and interviewed 24 young people as part of a landscape analysis; the advisory and planning committees developed priorities across collective impact governance, prevention programs, targeted interventions for people at highest risk, and accountability through evaluation.
Presenters said the initiative used ARPA funds for planning and short-term implementation and that the next steps are to incorporate a nonprofit backbone organization, seat a board of directors (presenters said about 14 nominees had agreed to participate and a 15-member board had been proposed), and recruit an executive director. The nonprofit is expected to take responsibility for cross-sector coordination, data-driven evaluation and fundraising to sustain the work beyond initial ARPA funding.
Council members asked about measurable trends and when results could be expected; presenters said local police statistics are published monthly (NIBRS) and that a cross-sector evaluation framework will be developed after the board is seated. A council member requested more frequent updates and broader public communication about progress; presenters accepted the feedback and said ongoing biweekly advisory meetings and future reporting to council are planned.
Chief Carroll reiterated that the police department will continue community policing and youth programs while supporting the new nonprofit backbone; he cautioned that many prevention successes will not show up in arrest-based statistics and said the effort must remain flexible as community needs change.
Next steps listed by presenters include completing background checks, incorporating the nonprofit, seating the board, hiring an executive director and developing a sustainability and fundraising strategy.
