Support a Public Health Approach to
Reduce Violence
The Challenge
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reporting statistics, and a recent report by the Brennan Center, violent crime rates, nationally, have dropped significantly since 1990. The 2015 violent crime rate was about the same as it was in 1970–71, early tallies of 2017 were historically low. Yet, despite significant declines nationally, violent crime continues to impact and be concentrated in persistently high-crime neighborhoods in a number of major cities, and homicide continues
to be the leading cause of death for Black boys and young men ages 15
to 34. Moreover, data suggests that strictly relying on incarceration to reduce violence may not be the most effective approach for achieving results, as crime rates dropped nearly twice as much in the 10 states with the largest imprisonment declines between 2005 and 2015, compared to the 10 states with the largest growth in imprisonment.
The Opportunity
A public health approach to violence prevention seeks to identify and address the root causes of crime in a long-term and sustainable way, rather than solely treating the symptoms of those causes (e.g., the violence) with punishment and temporary incapacitation. The World Health Organization and the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention have both advocated for a public health approach to violence prevention.
A public health approach can take multiple forms and often requires coordination between traditional justice system agencies and less traditional partners like health and social services providers. In multiple cities, police are working with researchers and service providers to conduct a social networking analysis that identifies those most likely to become victims or perpetrators of gun violence, and then provides those individuals with social services and employment opportunities to move away from violence. Research suggests that a public health approach to violence reduction can advance the sustained safety and stability of the communities most-impacted by violence.
For example, Ceasefire is a proven, evidence-based violence-reduction strategy that brings law enforcement, social services, and affected communities together to reduce gun violence. Ceasefire has been evaluated numerous times and received the highest ranking in evidence-based practice from DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs.
Action Steps
Legislative
Congress should allocate funding at the FY2017 level for proven public health interventions, including DOJ’s Defending Childhood Initiative — a trauma-informed approach to reducing violence — and DOJ’s Community-Based Violence Prevention Initiative which funds programs like Ceasefire (Group Violence Intervention) and Cure Violence.
Congress should pass legislation requiring background checks for all gun purchases.
Congress should pass legislation to eliminate the limitations on firearm research imposed by the 1997 Dickey Amendment so that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) can appropriately study the issue of gun violence as a public health threat.
Executive
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research arm of the Department of Justice, should further evaluate the effectiveness of public health approaches to reducing violence and amplify their findings to inform federal funding priorities and local violence prevention strategies.
