Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • An oft-tried plan to curb violent crime in Baltimore resurfaces. City leaders say better leadership will bring better results.

    December 01, 2020 |

    The Baltimore Sun |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

    In the 1990s and again in 2014, when Baltimore used a strategy called focused deterrence to reduce street violence, it showed initial promise but then failed. Those failures can be tied to how the program was managed, and to changes in leadership, not to the approach itself. The strategy offers help to people at risk of shooting others or being shot, but threatens them with prosecution if they reject the help and commit violence. The revived Group Violence Reduction Strategy has worked well in many cities, including New Orleans, where Baltimore's current police chief came from.

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  • Illegal Out-of-State Gun Trafficking is Fueling Baltimore's Homicide Epidemic

    December 01, 2020 |

    Baltimore Magazine |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

    When Baltimore police shifted tactics starting in 2007, away from aggressive street stops aimed at arresting gun carriers toward regulating the supply of street guns at their sources, the city's murder rate plunged. Backed by studies on effective gun regulations, the focus on tracing crime guns to their sources, firearms traffickers and corrupt gun retailers, often in states with lax laws on gun sales, seemed to have significant positive effects. That strategy was largely abandoned and an emphasis on street enforcement resumed. Baltimore's homicides went back up.

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  • Gun advocates take the lead in embracing suicide prevention message

    November 28, 2020 |

    The Oregonian |

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    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Washington

    An alliance between health professionals and gun owners has increased suicide-prevention education and training through multiple initiatives in many states. Groups like Washington’s Safer Homes and Forefront Suicide Prevention ground their message in problem-solving rather than threats to restrict gun owners’ rights. Backed by data showing the deadly correlation between gun ownership and suicide deaths, these groups have made peer counseling and suicide prevention more common components of gun safety education, and have spread gun-storage devices and strategies much more widely through gun owner circles.

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  • Indianapolis has poured millions into grant funding to fight crime. Has it worked?

    November 24, 2020 |

    IndyStar (The Indianapolis Star) |

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    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Indianapolis, Indiana

    By one measure, a record number of homicides in 2020, Indianapolis' decision to pump $13 million into two crime-prevention grant programs looks like a failure. But program advocates and researchers say that may not be the most accurate measure. Data show that multiple community-based projects are steering young people away from crime and toward jobs. It's difficult to untangle crime's multiple causes and the effects these programs have had over the past six years, and whether homicides would have been even worse but for the efforts.

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  • In Denver, Unarmed Mental Health Workers Respond To Hundreds Of 911 Calls Instead Of Police

    November 17, 2020 |

    KUNC |

    Radio |

    3-5 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

    Since Denver launched its Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) program in June, it has handled more than 600 calls for help with a mental health clinician and a paramedic instead of sending police officers. Modeled on Eugene, Oregon's CAHOOTS program, STAR is based on the notion that low-level emergencies involving mental health, homelessness, and substance abuse do not require police responses, and in fact can more often end peacefully by removing police from the equation. STAR started small, with one van on duty during weekday hours. Police support the move, and often call in STAR for assistance.

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  • ‘How Did We Not Know?' Gun Owners Confront a Suicide Epidemic

    November 17, 2020 |

    The New York Times |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States

    A public-education campaign to enlist gun owners in suicide prevention work by first informing them of the problem's scope has spread to programs in 21 states. Although the campaign's ultimate effects on suicide rates are not known, it has at least spurred gun-rights advocates to action, with safety and prevention messages spread through gun shows, retailers, trade groups, and gun ranges. The majority of gun deaths are suicides. Millions of guns have been sold during the pandemic and social-justice protests, elevating suicide risks. Safety measures include gun locks and having friends remove guns from homes.

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  • ‘I Want Them to See That Someone Cares About Them'

    November 14, 2020 |

    The Trace |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

    The Violence Intervention Program at the University of Maryland Medical Center's Shock Trauma Center helps people meet basic needs after they have suffered a gunshot injury. Along with clothing, transportation vouchers, and toothbrushes, the program's social workers also provide talk therapy. The goal is to keep victims of violence from becoming victims again, and the approach is to build trust by giving the help without strings attached. Many people return for the help, and the therapy.

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  • Denver police solved less than half of all nonfatal shootings last year. A new solution is showing promise.

    November 13, 2020 |

    The Denver Post |

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    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

    By creating a centralized team of detectives to focus on non-fatal shootings, Denver police improved their rate of solving such crimes from 39% in 2019 to 65% in the program's first seven months. The team of six detectives, hired for their talent at winning the trust of victims who might be reluctant to cooperate with the police, treats such shootings with all the seriousness of a homicide investigation, on the theory that solving these crimes will prevent more shootings. The boost in the so-called clearance rate, albeit preliminary, comes despite a big increase in shootings in Denver in 2020.

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  • Domestic violence survivor creates app to help others in crisis

    November 06, 2020 |

    WCSH-TV |

    Broadcast TV News |

    Under 3 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Portland, Maine

    A free mobile app, Safe House, gives victims of domestic abuse a simple and quick way to call for help and find needed resources in four states. Putting local crisis helplines, shelters, and other local resources in one place saves time when an abuse victim is racing to get to safety. The app, downloaded more than 3,000 times since its launch less than two years ago, currently covers resources in Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. Its developer plans to expand to more states.

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  • Analyzing the risk

    November 05, 2020 |

    Boulder Weekly |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Boulder County, Colorado

    The Colorado Pretrial Assessment Tool uses a formula to weigh the risk of releasing someone from jail while they await trial. While prosecutors say the tool is better than nothing, critics, backed by a study of the tool's effects, say it disproportionately harms people of color and people experiencing homelessness. Risk assessment algorithms consider a number of facts about a defendant's past and present to predict whether they can leave jail without committing new crimes or failing to make court appearances. But because they penalize already-overpoliced populations, they are not considered objective.

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