NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — There’s growing interest in grassroots programs aimed at reducing community violence at a time when crime rates around the country are on the rise. Violence interrupter programs use homegrown peacemakers from communities plagued by violence to try to ease tense situations. Other programs focus primarily on issues such as poverty and education. These kind of strategies to curb violence recognize the fallout on American society from decades of “tough on crime” policies. But even as President Joe Biden encourages big-city mayors to use some of their COVID-19 relief funds to boost community violence intervention programs, there’s no widely agreed-upon model for what works.
The post Community ‘violence interrupters’ work to stem rising crime appeared first on WEEK.
