London’s Violence Reduction Unit

What we know from the research on preventing violence

Those involved in violence are likely to be vulnerable in multiple, interrelated ways and many may have experienced past victimisation and trauma. A lot of research has examined the relationship between exposure to what researchers have called ‘adverse childhood experiences’ – or ACEs in the research literature – and violent offending.

Adverse childhood experiences take on many forms, such as the death of a parent or close friend, household criminality, exposure to domestic abuse, substance misuse or bullying, and difficulties with health, communication or learning. These experiences can increase vulnerability to violence. In short, ACEs are a form of trauma, or series of traumas, experienced during the important, formative stages of a life.

We try to minimise these risk factors and instead build resilience. The Violence Reduction Unit commissions research to inform future approaches and provides funding to projects and programmes that target prevention at individuals. 

There are a series of report available at the website. Check them out HERE

Mapping gun violence: A closer look at the intersection between place and gun homicides in four cities

The rise in gun homicides in the United States is having reverberating political ramifications at the federal, state, and local levels, with many elected officials falling back into “tough on crime” policies to curb the violence. This punitive turn can be seen in President Joe Biden’s proposed federal budget, in which he calls for “more police officers on the beat” and allocates an additional $30 billion for state and local governments to support law enforcement. Many local leaders are mirroring this approach, centering their gun violence prevention strategies on increasing funding for police and rolling back criminal justice reforms.  

What these enforcement-based approaches fail to recognize is that the recent rise in homicides is more nuanced than it appears. Rather than a widespread dispersal of gun violence within cities, the increases in gun homicides are largely concentrated in disinvested and structurally disadvantaged neighborhoods that had high rates of gun violence to begin with. This geographic concentration is a persistent challenge, not a new one—and it requires targeted solutions to improve outcomes in disinvested places rather than reverting to the old “tough on crime” playbook. 

<<<READ MORE HERE>>>

Why Violent Crime Is Rising – Michael Shellenberger

Aariel Maynor (left), suspected killer of Jacqueline Avant (right) with husband Clarence Clarence and Jacqueline Avant may not be household names but they are giants of black American music and philanthropy. Clarence is the former chairman of Motown Records, and responsible for the careers of some of America’s greatest African American musicians including Bill Withers, Babyface, and Terry Lewis. Jacqueline, 81, was president of Neighbors for Watts, an early child care advocacy organization, and a much-loved Beverly Hills philanthropist. Netflix last year produced a film about Clarence, the “
— Read on michaelshellenberger.substack.com/p/why-violent-crime-is-rising

The Cost of Crime

THE TRUE COST OF GUN VIOLENCE

The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform has conducted a series of studies on the cost of gun violence in cities across the U.S., releasing findings from these studies in powerful, detailed infographic reports. These reports break down the specific governmental costs associated with each gun homicide and injury shooting, including crime scene response, hospital and rehabilitation, criminal justice, incarceration, victim support, and lost tax revenue. Following their release, NICJR partners with local organizers and other stakeholders to incorporate Cost of Gun Violence reports in advocacy efforts demanding increased investment in gun violence reduction strategies. For many of the reports, NICJR has partnered with Live Free, a national faith-based initiative to reduce incarceration and violence.

On the website there are 17 cities that calculations were made for gun violence. All of the report can be accessed HERE