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Solutions

Violence Intervention Programs

    Violence Intervention Programs

      What does this solve?

      Community violence intervention programs provide evidence and community-informed, comprehensive support to individuals who are at the greatest risk of gunshot victimization. These programs are shown to reduce gunshot wounds and deaths in the neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence.

      Gun homicides and assaults occur at high rates within cities and have a disproportionate impact in historically underfunded and segregated neighborhoods.1Mudia Uzzi et al., “An Intersectional Analysis of Historical and Contemporary Structural Racism on Non-Fatal Shootings in Baltimore, Maryland,” Injury Prevention 29, no. 1 (2023): 85-90, https://doi.org/10.1136/ip-2022-044700. Gun violence in cities reflects and amplifies this country’s long-standing systemic and structural inequities.

      City leaders, local groups, and residents are driving solutions to reduce gun violence and increase safety in their communities. To reduce gun homicides and assaults within cities, leaders and legislators should invest in community-driven, evidence-informed interventions.

      Which states dedicate funding to violence intervention programs?

      41 states have adopted this policy

      AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

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      Alabama has not adopted this policy

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      Alaska has adopted this policy

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      Arizona has not adopted this policy

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      Arkansas has not adopted this policy

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      California has adopted this policy

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      Colorado has adopted this policy

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      Connecticut has adopted this policy

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      Delaware has adopted this policy

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      Florida has adopted this policy

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      Georgia has adopted this policy

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      Hawaii has adopted this policy

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      Idaho has not adopted this policy

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      Illinois has adopted this policy

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      Indiana has adopted this policy

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      Iowa has adopted this policy

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      Kansas has adopted this policy

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      Kentucky has adopted this policy

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      Louisiana has adopted this policy

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      Maine has not adopted this policy

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      Maryland has adopted this policy

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      Massachusetts has adopted this policy

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      Michigan has adopted this policy

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      Minnesota has adopted this policy

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      Mississippi has not adopted this policy

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      Missouri has adopted this policy

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      Montana has adopted this policy

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      Nebraska has adopted this policy

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      Nevada has adopted this policy

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      New Hampshire has not adopted this policy

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      New Jersey has adopted this policy

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      New Mexico has adopted this policy

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      New York has adopted this policy

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      North Carolina has adopted this policy

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      North Dakota has adopted this policy

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      Ohio has adopted this policy

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      Oklahoma has not adopted this policy

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      Oregon has adopted this policy

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      Pennsylvania has adopted this policy

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      Rhode Island has adopted this policy

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      South Carolina has adopted this policy

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      South Dakota has not adopted this policy

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      Tennessee has adopted this policy

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      Texas has adopted this policy

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      Utah has adopted this policy

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      Vermont has adopted this policy

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      Virginia has adopted this policy

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      Washington has adopted this policy

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      West Virginia has adopted this policy

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      Wisconsin has adopted this policy

      Violence Intervention Program Funding

      Wyoming has adopted this policy

      How it Works

      Community violence intervention programs apply a localized approach to gun violence prevention.

      Community-Led Public Safety Strategies Fact Sheet

      Community violence intervention programs identify those who are at the highest risk and work to reduce violence through targeted interventions. There are several program models being used across the country.

      Street Outreach: This program model employs a public health approach to fight violence. The program has street outreach workers who actively work to mediate conflicts and prevent retaliatory violence between those who are at-risk to commit or become the victims of gun violence.

      Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs (HVIPs): These programs are located in trauma centers and emergency departments. They engage patients while they are still in the hospital, often just hours after a violent injury, to reduce the chance of retaliation and violent injury recurrence. They are based on the premise that there is a unique window of opportunity to engage victims of violence in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic injury.

      Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED): These initiatives work to create livable and/or green spaces in which community members feel safe, thereby discouraging and reducing gun violence. These initiatives include such activities as cleaning vacant lots, greening parks, restoring or demolishing abandoned buildings, adding lighting to public spaces, and more.

      Summer Youth Employment Programs (SYEP): These programs reduce violence by providing young people with prosocial, developmental employment opportunities during the off-school season, when they may otherwise lack structure and supervision.

      Group Violence Intervention (GVI) programs: This program model utilizes the call-in, a meeting where members of violent groups hear from law enforcement, social service organizations, and community members that the violence must stop. Law enforcement brings a strong message that if violence continues, the perpetrators will be caught and face harsh consequences. Individuals seeking help are connected to social services, including counseling, education programs, and employment opportunities.

      By the numbers

      Myth

      Most violence in cities is gang-related.

      Fact

      In reality, although some gun violence is connected to gang activity, gun violence occurs more frequently within informal social networks tied together by the places people live, the schools they attend, and their places of worship. Gun violence within these social networks is further concentrated into a very small percentage of people. This gun violence frequently follows a dispute or perceived disrespect, and between people who are known to one another. These encounters become deadly because a gun is present.

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      Did you know?

      Nearly 7 in 10 Americans support funding community-based gun violence prevention programs that provide outreach, conflict mediation, and social support for people at high-risk of gun violence.

      Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, “2023 Survey Results: National Survey of Gun Policy,” July 21, 2023, https://publichealth.jhu.edu/center-for-gun-violence-solutions/research-reports/americans-agree-on-effective-gun-policy-more-than-were-led-to-believe.