SIU researchers, students looking at factors associated with gun violence in Carbondale

July 19, 2022

SIU researchers, students looking at factors associated with gun violence in Carbondale

by Tim Crosby

CARBONDALE, Ill. — A national spate of mass shootings combined with random shootings at the local level is prompting Southern Illinois University Carbondale and its hometown to collaborate on research looking for solutions.

Tammy Kochel, associate dean of SIU’s College of Health and Human Sciences, led a study aimed at dissecting the causes and patterns associated with gun violence in Carbondale. The City Council is providing more than $64,000 for the study, which focuses on information gathered from online surveys, interviews and a small group meeting, along with official Carbondale data sources.

The study is ongoing

Koehl, along with other faculty members, three doctoral students and one master’s student, began researching the problem in early summer, collecting data from local police and first responders. The data should provide a window into the number of incidents, geographic patterns, and environmental conditions that may contribute to their occurrence.

The issue is one of public health, Kochel said, and while it’s a national dilemma, city leaders must tailor solutions based on local factors. The team’s findings are expected to be available in the fall.

“We hope our report describes the specific nature of gun violence in Carbondale and the types of evidence-based and promising solutions that have worked for similar gun violence problems,” Koehl said. “We hope it will be used to guide service providers and make funding decisions.”

Along with the online survey, which takes less than 10 minutes to complete, Koehl and her students conducted systematic one-on-one interviews with key people from local organizations with an interest in addressing gun violence. They also held one facilitated focus group meeting among local stakeholders such as emergency room staff, middle school social workers, high school social workers, and law enforcement to gather additional perspectives.

In addition to analyzing geographic patterns of incidents, researchers will look at the relationships between gun assaults, gun homicides and anonymous arrest data to try to understand trends related to the problem. They will also analyze Carbondale Memorial Hospital’s anonymized emergency department discharge information for both fatal and non-fatal firearm cases, as well as perform a geographic and temporal analysis of Jackson County Department of Public Health calls for service. data on firearm injuries.

Kochel previously worked with police and local partners in Springfield to analyze the nature of gun violence there. In this case, the city is pursuing an approach known as focused deterrence aimed at mitigating shootings and retaliation among local gangs. As part of that effort, Springfield police have added a geographic focus, including some targeted patrols.

Survey method to reveal experiences, perceptions

In Carbondale’s ongoing efforts, Kochel’s work relies in part on the results of a survey in which community members will tell researchers their experiences with gun violence and residents’ perceptions. Such input provides an important complement to police, EMS and criminal justice data, she said.

“It tells us the impact that gun violence has on people’s daily lives, the perceived drivers of the residents who experience this problem in their daily lives, and the known programs in different parts of the city.” Koehl said.

The research team is currently focusing on the immediate causes of the problem in Carbondale. Koehl hopes this problem-solving perspective will reveal patterns — such as time of day, day of week and geographic factors — that will help city officials be proactive. They also hope to uncover why gun violence happens where and when it does, and why it affects the specific people involved.

“We want to assess what happens immediately before the incidents,” Koehl said. “We study environmental conditions such as stewardship in affected areas, social activities and land use in affected areas and times, and the co-occurrence of any other problem behaviors.”

The SIU is sending a rescue team

Kochel joins the efforts of SIU faculty members Justin McDaniel, associate professor of public health, and Sarah Buila, associate professor of social work, Paul Brinker, instructor of social work, and Matthew West, assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice.

Students also play a vital role in gathering and analyzing information. They include MSc Jacob Halvorson and PhD students Colleen Bader, Seivan Nouri and Rachel Riordan.

Halvorson said he attended several one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders as well as a focus group of people whose work has been affected by gun violence in Carbondale. He will turn his notes into qualitative data for analysis and will also collect data related to gun violence incidents in Carbondale from the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.

“I wanted to participate in this project because I am passionate about applying scientific research to address social issues, especially those related to our criminal justice system,” said Halvorson, who hopes to pursue a career in criminal justice after graduation. “This will help me better understand both the root causes and consequences of gun violence and will be an invaluable experience.”

Nouri’s role is to analyze data using his expertise in computational methods. He enjoys the challenge and also the improvement of public safety through data-driven solutions.

“Police work has always been of great interest to me because of the delicate relationship between the community and police officers,” Nouri said. “The project will help me better understand the tactics used by the police and how they suppress crime and other social problems.”

Bader served as survey data collector, data analyst, and report author on the project. She said she jumped at the chance to work with Koehl on another project.

“Whenever I work on projects or research with Dr. Koehl, I get a strong sense that I’m personally making a positive difference in people’s lives,” said Bader, whose long-term goal is to use and teach data analytics in fields where data is underutilized.