Weed and Seed Program

Supporting Lectures:

• Neighborhood Restoration
• Social Structure Theories

The "Weed and Seed" program was a Federal grant initiative that sought to revitalize cities around the country. This competitive grant program combined law enforcement strategies with community development and was used in hundreds of cities around the country. The Office of Justice Programs ran this program for a number of years until further funding was denied. A subsequent program, known as the Byrne Criminal Justice Initiative, addresses many of the same goals.

Prepare a report analyzing the Weed and Seed program. Your report should address the following points:

• Summarize the Weed and Seed program. How did it come about?
• Describe the goals of the program and indicate how the goals and methods of the program align with the theories presented in this course.
• Analyze whether the neighborhood crime factors that the Weed and Seed program identifies can be legitimately handled by police.
• Select a city that was served by the Weed and Seed program. Assess how successful the program was, in terms of reducing crime rates.