Latest news with #violenceprevention
Forbes
3 days ago
- Health
- Forbes
Five Key Public Health Solutions For Gun Violence Prevention
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 11: Erica Ford speaks during March for Our Lives 2022 on June 11, 2022 in ... More Washington, DC. Erica Ford is a gun violence prevention activist and founder of LIFE Camp, an organization committed to putting an end to gun violence in communities across the country. (Photo byfor March For Our Lives) Previous surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on firearm violence in America, declaring it a public health crisis. This should come as no surprise, as there were 503 mass shootings in America in 2024, which is more than one a day according to Gun Violence Archive. I had the good fortune of moderating an expert panel discussion on gun violence prevention in Washington D.C. at the 2024 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit. Here are five key solutions the panel came up with to help combat gun violence. Addressing Root Causes Of Violence Gun violence has so many root causes, but it often stems from social determinants such as poverty, unemployment and systemic inequities. Policymakers and government officials need to make education more accessible, expand job opportunities and allow housing to become affordable in order to mitigate conditions that foster violence. Dr. Zachary Meisel, Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania said, 'We need to really be thinking holistically, upstream about the root causes of violence, but also downstream about the interventions that actually can change the trajectory of firearm injuries.' Without addressing root causes of violence, long-term solutions and improvements can never be realized. Investing In Community-Based Interventions And Programs Gun violence is now the leading cause of death in young people in America, disproportionately affecting people of color particularly in urban areas. Community-based violent intervention programs can make a huge dent in preventing gun violence, as done in some big cities throughout the U.S. Such programs have resulted in a 63% decrease in gun shooting victimization in South Bronx and a 43% reduction in gun-related deaths in Richmond, California. The programs hire trained community members to mediate conflicts and prevent retaliatory violence, which can be instrumental in decreasing shootings. Investing in these programs can prove critical in preventing so many common tragedies attributable to firearms. Advocating For Legislative Reform Comprehensive background checks will always be a pillar for gun violence prevention. States that have laws that require in-person applications and fingerprinting before purchasing guns have decreased rates of homicides and suicides by firearms compared to states without such laws. Additionally, requiring licensing for firearm ownership including mandatory safety training, ensures that only responsible individuals can access guns. It can of course be difficult to pass legislation with respect to guns, given how starkly divided America stands with respect to the right to bear arms. Stefanie Feldman, previous Director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention under President Biden, said, 'Really mobilizing people around specific issues and being willing to partner with people who you might agree on one piece of the puzzle with, even though they don't agree on the whole concept…Taking people wherever they are willing to partner on this issue moves the ball forward, and every life saved matters.' Expanding Mental Health Resources The effects of gun violence do not just affect those that die, but also the many more that survive, as well as the family and friends of those that survive. The mental trauma that results from these events can result in not only anxiety and depression, but also the constant fear that it could happen again. While the majority of people with mental health conditions are not violent, enhanced access to mental health services can play a critical role in reducing suicides by firearms, which account for the majority of gun deaths in the U.S. Strategies to expand mental health resources include increasing funding for mental health care, integrating mental health and violence screening into routine medical health visits and creating crisis intervention programs. Strengthening Research And Data Collection Science and public health rely on data and research. Innovation and change in science are driven by data that supports or refutes ideas and hypotheses. The data collected from this research can inform evidence-based policies and interventions to reduce and prevent gun violence. Gun violence can be entirely preventable, and many high-income countries have much lower rates of it compared to America. Although many Americans remain divided on the issue of firearm use, the vast majority want safe and secure communities. As Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Executive Director of Moms Demand Action, said, 'I've talked to some people that have very, very different politics than I do, and we are able to come to some agreement together…And you start there, and you build from that.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
How is central Ohio combatting gun violence? A look at resources available
The network of resources for families and communities affected by violence is interconnected and growing. Following the drastic spike in homicides in Columbus during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, both the city and Franklin County have continued to prioritize initiatives to heal central Ohio and its residents. Local government's response: Prioritizing data-driven collaboration Since its inception in 2023, after Mayor Andrew Ginther declared gun violence a public health crisis in 2022, Columbus' Office of Violence Prevention has stressed evidence-based and data-founded initiatives, said Rena Shak, the office's director. Since June 2024, the office has also overseen the implementation of the Columbus Violence Reduction (CVR) strategy, the local adaptation of the evidence-based Group Violence Intervention Model. The collaborative strategy between community and law enforcement works to reduce homicides and gun violence as well as the harm they cause in communities through a focus on deterrence. It also invested a total of $1.35 million so far this year in grants to 35 unique grantees, including both Think Make Live Youth and Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children, according to the Office of Violence Prevention. Shak also said the office's work highly emphasizes violence intervention. "We actually were able to kind of create Columbus' first community violence-intervention ecosystem," Shak said. "It's the first comprehensive, official ecosystem that the city has ever had. We started that at the beginning of last year." Franklin County's ecosystem On a local level, the county prosecutor's office is treating gun violence like an epidemic since Franklin County Prosecutor Shayla Favor took office in November 2024. Like the city, the county is focusing on community collaboration and data-driven solutions. "I remain unwavering in my commitment to real, lasting solutions. This crisis can't be solved in silos," Favor said via email. In a similar ecosystem, Favor said she is engaging with law enforcement, community leaders, social service providers and residents to build a coordinated response rooted in both accountability and prevention. Favor moved her office's "Gun Unit" under its "Strategic Prosecution Division" as part of a restructuring to use more data and innovation to solve problems. After losing her 19-year-old son, Aiden David, in May, Gretchen Specht said she has felt the strength of the collaborative community in central Ohio surround her. As she has accessed resources, including Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children, the Pickerington mom of three is now advocating for early intervention and the elevation of community resources, especially regarding domestic violence and believing survivors' stories as her son was killed by the estranged ex-husband of the woman he was beginning to date. Columbus has compiled a comprehensive list of Violence Prevention Resources in the community. It can be found on the Office of Violence Prevention's website. These include Columbus Violence Reduction, Columbus Urban League's Neighborhood Violence Intervention Program, Columbus' VOICE (Violence Outreach, Intervention, Community Engagement) program and more. Sophia Veneziano is a Columbus Dispatch reporter supported by the Center for HumanKindness at The Columbus Foundation. She may be reached at sveneziano@ The Dispatch retains full editorial independence for all content. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Gun violence in Columbus: What community resources exist?
CTV News
6 days ago
- CTV News
Algonquin students raising money for harmony house
Ottawa Watch Meet the Algonquin College Students working to support Harmony House's vital mission to break the cycle of violence for women and children.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Prevent programme should continue referrals for no ideology
Prevent, the Government's counter-terror programme, could work better as part of a violence prevention strategy in the long term and should apply to those fascinated by extreme violence, a watchdog has said. Independent Prevent Commissioner David Anderson KC has recommended the deradicalisation initiative should remain open to those with no fixed ideology in his report published on Wednesday. The review, looking at lessons learned from the cases of MP Sir David Amess's murderer Ali Harbi Ali and Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana, said 'intensive' efforts have been made to improve processes, but the 'jury is out' on some of the changes. Lord Anderson said: 'A huge amount of effort has already gone into making Prevent a stronger programme than the one which failed to deal in 2014 with the future killer of Sir David Amess. 'A blizzard of further initiatives has followed the Southport murders of last summer. Though it is too early for all of these to be fully evaluated, taken together they will reduce the chances of such failings being repeated. 'But more needs to be done. It has to be clear that people with a fascination with extreme violence can be suitable subjects for Prevent, even when they have no discernible ideology.' He added: 'In the longer term, I believe that Prevent could work better as part of a comprehensive violence prevention and safeguarding strategy.' The report recommended for a Cabinet Office task force to be set up to explore the possibility of formally connecting Prevent to a broader violence prevention and safeguarding system. It comes as the commissioner for the Commission for Countering Extremism, Robin Simcox, told the Commons' Home Affairs Committee that if Prevent shifted its focus towards taking on more cases of those with interests in extreme violence, it would mean the system 'isn't really a counter-terrorism programme any more'. He told MPs on Tuesday it would be a 'pretty fundamental shift in what Prevent is', adding: 'Prevent better brace itself for an awful lot of referrals.' Meanwhile, the interim Prevent commissioner's report also called for the body to 'up its game in the online world, where most radicalisation takes place'. Lord Anderson's report said that approaches to understanding organised terrorist activity from the last two decades are 'insufficient' for understanding digital movements of self-radicalised extremists, whose online behaviours are 'increasingly difficult to detect and interpret'. Speaking at the Home Affairs select committee on Tuesday, Lord Anderson said the average age of a person referred to Prevent is now 16 years old, and 40% are aged 11-15 so they are 'dealing here with digital natives'. The report concluded: 'Wider decisions loom on how Prevent can be better tailored to the online world inhabited by so many of its subjects; how best to deal with those whose ideology amounts to little more than a fascination with extreme violence; and whether Prevent should ultimately be embedded in a more general violence reduction strategy.' Lord Anderson detailed that he heard evidence from across the country of a large increase in Prevent referrals in the first quarter of this year following the publicity of Rudakubana's case. He added that reactions to popular Netflix series Adolescence on the theme of 'incels' may have also encouraged more referrals. Latest figures on Prevent referrals for 2023-2024 included in the report show 36% of 6,921 cases were made up of concerns of vulnerability but no ideology or counter-terror risk, followed by 19% extreme right wing and 18% for conflicted ideology. The report follows Prevent Learning Reviews published into the two cases. A review assessing Rudakubana's closed referrals to the programme years before he went on to murder three girls, and attempted to kill eight others and two adults, found too much focus was placed on the absence of a distinct ideology. Harbi Ali's case was also deemed to be closed too early after 'problematic' assessments, before he went on to kill veteran MP Sir David seven years later. Reacting to the Prevent commissioner's report on Wednesday, Radd Seiger, the adviser and spokesperson for the family of Sir David, said the family are 'deeply upset' and 'frankly offended' by the way Lord Anderson's report has been handled by the Home Office. He said the family were given 'next to no notice' of the timing or advance sight of the report, adding media leaks were a further insult to the family. Mr Seiger said they also received a 'dismissive' letter from the Home Secretary, which he said was designed to 'protect the Government following its failings' and not support them. The review on Prevent also comes after the terror watchdog recommended for a new offence to address the gap for lone individuals planning mass killings. In March, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, Jonathan Hall, said the terrorism definition should not be changed in the wake of the Southport murders, but instead the law could be changed to create an offence to prevent mass casualty attacks before they happen, similar to terrorism offences applying to an offender preparing for an attack.
The Independent
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Prevent programme should continue referrals for no ideology
Prevent, the Government's counter-terror programme, could work better as part of a violence prevention strategy in the long term and should apply to those fascinated by extreme violence, a watchdog has said. Independent Prevent Commissioner David Anderson KC has recommended the deradicalisation initiative should remain open to those with no fixed ideology in his report published on Wednesday. The review, looking at lessons learned from the cases of MP Sir David Amess's murderer Ali Harbi Ali and Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana, said 'intensive' efforts have been made to improve processes, but the 'jury is out' on some of the changes. Lord Anderson said: 'A huge amount of effort has already gone into making Prevent a stronger programme than the one which failed to deal in 2014 with the future killer of Sir David Amess. 'A blizzard of further initiatives has followed the Southport murders of last summer. Though it is too early for all of these to be fully evaluated, taken together they will reduce the chances of such failings being repeated. 'But more needs to be done. It has to be clear that people with a fascination with extreme violence can be suitable subjects for Prevent, even when they have no discernible ideology.' He added: 'In the longer term, I believe that Prevent could work better as part of a comprehensive violence prevention and safeguarding strategy.' The report recommended for a Cabinet Office task force to be set up to explore the possibility of formally connecting Prevent to a broader violence prevention and safeguarding system. It comes as the commissioner for the Commission for Countering Extremism, Robin Simcox, told the Commons' Home Affairs Committee that if Prevent shifted its focus towards taking on more cases of those with interests in extreme violence, it would mean the system 'isn't really a counter-terrorism programme any more'. He told MPs on Tuesday it would be a 'pretty fundamental shift in what Prevent is', adding: 'Prevent better brace itself for an awful lot of referrals.' Meanwhile, the interim Prevent commissioner's report also called for the body to 'up its game in the online world, where most radicalisation takes place'. Lord Anderson's report said that approaches to understanding organised terrorist activity from the last two decades are 'insufficient' for understanding digital movements of self-radicalised extremists, whose online behaviours are 'increasingly difficult to detect and interpret'. Speaking at the Home Affairs select committee on Tuesday, Lord Anderson said the average age of a person referred to Prevent is now 16 years old, and 40% are aged 11-15 so they are 'dealing here with digital natives'. The report concluded: 'Wider decisions loom on how Prevent can be better tailored to the online world inhabited by so many of its subjects; how best to deal with those whose ideology amounts to little more than a fascination with extreme violence; and whether Prevent should ultimately be embedded in a more general violence reduction strategy.' Lord Anderson detailed that he heard evidence from across the country of a large increase in Prevent referrals in the first quarter of this year following the publicity of Rudakubana's case. He added that reactions to popular Netflix series Adolescence on the theme of 'incels' may have also encouraged more referrals. Latest figures on Prevent referrals for 2023-2024 included in the report show 36% of 6,921 cases were made up of concerns of vulnerability but no ideology or counter-terror risk, followed by 19% extreme right wing and 18% for conflicted ideology. The report follows Prevent Learning Reviews published into the two cases. A review assessing Rudakubana's closed referrals to the programme years before he went on to murder three girls, and attempted to kill eight others and two adults, found too much focus was placed on the absence of a distinct ideology. Harbi Ali's case was also deemed to be closed too early after 'problematic' assessments, before he went on to kill veteran MP Sir David seven years later. Reacting to the Prevent commissioner's report on Wednesday, Radd Seiger, the adviser and spokesperson for the family of Sir David, said the family are 'deeply upset' and 'frankly offended' by the way Lord Anderson's report has been handled by the Home Office. He said the family were given 'next to no notice' of the timing or advance sight of the report, adding media leaks were a further insult to the family. Mr Seiger said they also received a 'dismissive' letter from the Home Secretary, which he said was designed to 'protect the Government following its failings' and not support them. The review on Prevent also comes after the terror watchdog recommended for a new offence to address the gap for lone individuals planning mass killings. In March, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, Jonathan Hall, said the terrorism definition should not be changed in the wake of the Southport murders, but instead the law could be changed to create an offence to prevent mass casualty attacks before they happen, similar to terrorism offences applying to an offender preparing for an attack.
