Browsing by Author "Merritt, Breanca"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Crime in Indianapolis: Trends, Sources, and Opportunities for Change
    (IU Public Policy Institute, 2016-01) Merritt, Breanca; Riggs, Troy; Camacho-Reyes, Karla; Kaur, Joti
    This report reviews factors connected to Indianapolis’ rising homicides and non-fatal shootings during 2015. The overview of 2015’s violent crimes and community-wide issues was a collaborative effort between the Institute and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Both academic research and knowledge of Marion County’s criminal justice system helped identify potential strategies for addressing community-level issues associated with crime in Indianapolis
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    Crime in Indianapolis: Trends, Sources, and Opportunities for Change
    (IUPUI (Campus). Center for Criminal Justice Research, 2015-12) Merritt, Breanca; Riggs, Troy
    This report reviews factors connected to Indianapolis’ rising homicides and non-fatal shootings. The report served as the focus of a public safety forum sponsored by the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, held December 9, 2015, on the IUPUI campus. This overview of crime and related issues is not based on original research, but compiles existing information about Indianapolis, Marion County, and national trends in these topics. It focuses on those that drive many negative perceptions of crime rates: homicides and non-fatal shootings.
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    Domestic Migration in Indiana Counties
    (IU Public Policy Institute, 2015-10) Merritt, Breanca; Klacik, Drew
    As part of the Thriving Communities, Thriving State project, this issue brief examines trends in domestic migration for Indiana's urban, mid-sized, and rural counties. Comparing Indiana’s domestic migration across counties suggests that many counties in Indiana are only growing because individuals are relocating from other parts of the state. These domestic migration patterns are not sustainable for long-term population growth—they highlight that Indiana counties rely on one another’s residents for population growth rather than residents of other states. The data presented here underscore several key trends in county-level migration in Indiana: • Mid-sized Indiana counties provide the greatest source of growth in Indiana due to net domestic migration. This growth is mostly from: o Individuals moving from Urban Indiana to Midsized counties surrounding Indianapolis, and o Individuals moving from Rural to the other Mid-sized Indiana counties. • Indiana communities of all types have undergone a net loss in domestic migration to other U.S. states. o Most of those states are in the Sun Belt, are experiencing some of the largest population growth nationally, and are projected to continue that trend. o Individuals who move to other states from Indiana tend to move to metropolitan areas. o Urban counties in Indiana had the greatest net losses to other states. • Neighboring counties are sources of growth for some counties. o Rural populations may be attracted to more urban locations. o Domestic migration to border counties also exists for state-to-state migration, especially for Rural and Mid-sized counties. Overall, Indiana risks increasingly smaller population growth in all regions of the state due to multiple factors, but mostly related to losses in net domestic migration.
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    Recommendations for a Thriving Indiana
    (IU Public Policy Institute, 2016-03) Littlepage, Laura; Lawrence, R. Mark; Klacik, Drew; Marron, John; Palmer, Jamie L.; Burow, Sue; Merritt, Breanca; Spalding, Ronnetta; Wyeth, Debbie; Cobb-Dennard, Jamar; Glaze, Brittany; Camacho-Reyes, Karla
    When it comes to Indiana, one size does not fit all. Our state is blessed with open spaces and small, rural communities reminiscent of simpler times, friends on front porches, or a Norman Rockwell painting. At the other end of the spectrum is Indianapolis, the 14th largest city in America, and urban communities from Gary to New Albany, Evansville to Fort Wayne. In between are cities, suburbs, towns, and rural communities of various shapes and sizes. All have differing assets, opportunities, and needs. So Thriving Communities, Thriving State is, in essence, three studies in one: an urban communities study, a mid-sized communities study, and a rural/small communities study (see definitions on page 2). This report is a summary of those three reports. The work was informed by three commissions composed of people from many walks of life in each kind of community. The research, analysis, and resulting recommendations were guided by their knowledge of the kinds of communities in which they live, work, and serve. Thriving Communities, Thriving State, produced community-based recommendations that require policy decisions at the local, regional, and state levels. In other words, it’s not only what Indiana can do for its communities, but also what communities can do for themselves and the state. All three commissions prioritized: • Education/workforce preparation • Leadership and engagement • Quality of life and quality of place In addition to these overlapping goals, the commissions each identified other areas including government innovation/local control, entrepreneurship, and acceptance of diversity.
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    Recommendations for Thriving Mid-sized Communities
    (IU Public Policy Institute, 2016-03) Palmer, Jamie L.; Merritt, Breanca; Glaze, Brittany; Lawrence, R. Mark; Littlepage, Laura
    The Mid-sized Communities Commission brought together 16 individuals from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors in mid-sized communities to identify common community challenges and opportunities and to develop recommendations and strategies to address them over the next ten years. This report summarizes the Mid-sized Communities Commission and their work, including recommendations in four focus areas: • Quality of life and quality of place • Improving pathways and eliminating barriers to post-secondary education • Cultivating community leadership and civic engagement • Local government reform and innovation Thriving Communities, Thriving State is a Policy Choices project of the Indiana University Public Policy Institute. Informed by a representative group of community leaders and other stakeholders, it explores state and local strategies and policies that can help Indiana communities of all sizes thrive and fulfill their critical roles in attracting businesses, new business investment, and workers to Indiana. Instead of examining local issues on a one-size-fits-all basis, Thriving Communities, Thriving State frames Indiana’s changing demographic and economic realities for three kinds of communities: • Urban: First- or second-class cities that have been among the 10 largest cities since 1900, generally with a population of 50,000+ • Mid-sized: 15,000+ population in 2010 that are not included in urban • Rural/small town: Small towns are those not captured above with a population between 5,000 and 15,000 or a seat of county government smaller than 5,000. For the purposes of these designations, small communities and unincorporated areas are considered to be rural.