Violence Prevention

The root causes of and complex factors contributing to violence are found at the individual, family, community, and societal levels. All systems and disciplines can and must play a valuable role in preventing violence, reducing harm, and mitigating the lifelong effects of violence and trauma.

Research and action in preventing violence in schools and communities includes improving the environments in which youth and young adults live and learn; implementing policies and programs that establish new norms for nonviolent behaviors; equipping individuals with competencies for positive development; and providing opportunities for education, employment, housing, mentoring, substance use treatment, and access to evidence-based mental and behavioral health services, including trauma-informed care.

To prevent repeated acts of violence, those at greatest risk of recidivism, including gang-involved individuals, require individualized guidance and support to desist from future violence and reintegrate within society if returning from a correctional setting.

AIR applies a public health approach to violence prevention in the United States and around the world through research, evaluation, and training and technical assistance within communities and across education, justice, mental health, child protection, workforce, and housing systems.

Latest Work

1 Apr 2021
Spotlight

Youth Violence Prevention

The complex factors contributing to youth violence in the U.S. and abroad are found at the individual, family, community, and societal levels. Through centers such as the National Resource Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention and the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, AIR provides resources that support the overall well-being of all children and youth.
Illustration of AIR expert Karen Francis
12 Jan 2021
Q & A

Meet the Expert: Karen Francis

Karen Francis, Ph.D., leads AIR’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, where she provides organizational guidance and management around AIR’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy and implementation. A medical sociologist by training, she is the chair of AIR’s Diversity and Inclusion Council and leads AIR’s Cultural and Linguistic Competence Workgroup.
5 Nov 2020
Spotlight

Spotlight on Native Nations

Contributing and working alongside Native Nations, AIR has a deep commitment to engaging communities, fostering shared vision and values, building capacity, and developing strategic alliances to achieve sustainable systems change in Indian Country.
Girl being bullied
28 Sep 2020
Spotlight

Bullying Prevention

The 2018 Indicators of School Crime and Safety reports that 20 percent of students ages 12-18 reported being bullied at school during the 2017 school year. As more is being learned about the negative psychological and physical effects of bullying, researchers are focusing on how to address the problem. The research and resources featured here relate to efforts to prevent violence in schools and help young people feel safe and supported.
Illustration of Josh Polanin
16 Sep 2020
Q & A

Meet the Expert: Joshua R. Polanin

In this Q&A, Josh Polanin, principal researcher and project director for AIR’s What Works Clearinghouse, discusses his experience in quantitative methodology, particularly systematic review and meta-analysis, which allows him to design and lead studies across the field of education research.
Image of Preventing Youth Violence graphic
17 Jun 2020
In the Field

Five Evidence-based Takeaways Policymakers Need to Know About Preventing Youth Violence

The root causes of youth violence are similar in communities across the globe, but community responses to improve public safety and well-being vary considerably. To address this need in the Latin America and Caribbean region, the USAID selected AIR to conduct a global review of the evidence on youth violence prevention. Patricia Campie shares five takeaways from the resulting comprehensive study.
4 Jun 2020
Report

Massachusetts’s Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) Continues to Reduce Violent Crime and Improve Lives

The Massachusetts Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) is a multifaceted, community-based strategy that combines public health and public safety approaches to eliminate serious violence among proven-risk, urban youth ages 17–24. The most recent implementation and impact study illuminated a clear distinction between cities with SSYI relative to similarly violent cities without SSYI.
Project

Violence Prevention Technical Assistance Center

AIR is the lead contractor for the Violence Prevention Technical Assistance Center (VPTAC), part of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Violence Prevention. This comprehensive training and technical assistance center addresses sexual violence, child abuse and neglect, intimate partner violence, and youth violence.
Infographic: Student Bullying and Perceptions of Power Imbalance
19 Aug 2019
Q & A

A Public Health Approach to School Bullying: A Q&A With Xan Young, Senior TA Consultant

Xan Young, senior technical assistance consultant at AIR, directs the Violence Prevention Technical Assistance Center, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this Q&A, Young shares her insights on bullying and AIR’s work on this issue.
28 May 2019
Q & A

A Quick Word With: Patricia Campie on a Rare, Longitudinal Study of School Violence

Patricia Campie is a criminologist with more than 20 years of experience leading community-based research, evaluation, and implementation science initiatives. She is the principal investigator for the Research on Lowering Violence in Schools and Communities (ReSOLV) project, a five-year longitudinal study of the root causes of school violence and community, school, and individual capacities to address them. Here she answers some questions about the project.
Illustration of David Osher and areas of expertise
20 May 2019
Q & A

Meet the Expert: David Osher

David Osher is a leading expert in violence prevention, conditions for learning, school safety, and social and emotional learning. The principal investigator on three national centers, he has written and edited various books and articles, including Creating Safe, Equitable, Engaging Schools: A Comprehensive, Evidence-Based Approach to Supporting Students, with fellow AIR experts Deborah Moroney and Sandra Williamson.
Project

Supporting Restorative Reentry in Detroit

This randomized-controlled trial seeks to understand how family-based restorative justice can improve the lives of men and women suffering from addiction as they transition from the criminal justice system back to their communities.
People embracing
3 Nov 2017
Spotlight

Reducing Gun Violence: What Can Be Done Now

Gun violence can leave people feeling helpless and searching for answers—but there are ways to help reduce and prevent it, including community engagement and youth initiatives. Explore AIR’s violence prevention resources to learn more.
21 Sep 2017
Journal Article

The Impact of the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) on City-Level Youth Crime Victimization Rates

In 2011, Massachusetts initiated the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI), which provides a comprehensive public health approach for young men believed to be at “proven risk” for being involved with firearms. This article summarizes the results of a quasi-experimental evaluation study to test a youth violence intervention program in eleven cities in Massachusetts.
8 Sep 2017
Presentation

Emerging Trends and Issues in Incorporating Pay for Success/Social Impact Bonds to Increase Collective Impact of Prevention Programming

The Pay for Success/Social Impact Bond (PFS/SIB) model is an innovative, multi-stakeholder partnership funding mechanism in which government and philanthropic organizations provide upfront funding for program implementation under the umbrella of pay-for-performance principles. This presentation from the 2017 European Society for Prevention Research Conference critically reviews how the model has the potential to increase the collective impact of prevention programming.
20 Apr 2017
Report

Community-Based Violence Prevention Study of the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative: An Intervention To Prevent Urban Gun Violence

In 2010, Massachusetts invested in the Massachusetts Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI), an initiative launched in eleven cities with the highest per capita rates of violent crime. This report presents the findings and methodology from the Community-based Violence Prevention (CBVP) study of the SSYI's impact on violent crime in Massachusetts.
Project

Latin America and the Caribbean - Youth Violence Prevention

The Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region is home to less than 8% of the world’s population, but its rates of crime and violence are some of the highest in the world, with 37% of all homicides. The Latin America and the Caribbean-Youth Violence Prevention project’s overarching goal is to improve the capacity of USAID and its partners to successfully implement crime and violence prevention programming in the region.
1 Dec 2016
Report

Report │Transitional Housing for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence: A 2014-15 Snapshot

The 12 chapters of the Transitional Housing for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence: A 2014-15 Snapshot report comprehensively explore the challenges facing transitional housing programs and the survivors of domestic and sexual violence they serve, the underlying issues and contributing factors, and the diverse approaches that programs take to address those challenges.
10 Oct 2016
Toolkit

Safe Place to Learn Resource Kit: Preventing, Interceding, and Responding to Sexual Harassment of K-12 Students

The Safe Place to Learn resource package provides a range of materials to support school efforts to prevent and eliminate peer-to-peer sexual harassment and sexual violence. This resource package supports school district and school staff efforts to comply with Title IX sex discrimination prohibitions and create a positive school climate.
9 Mar 2016
Journal Article

Raising a Red Flag on Dating Violence Evaluation of a Low-Resource, College-Based Bystander Behavior Intervention Program

Encouraging bystanders to intervene safely and effectively in situations that could escalate to violence—known as bystander behavior programs—is a growing yet largely untested strategy to prevent dating violence. Findings showed an increase in bystander behaviors, such as encouraging a friend who may be in an abusive relationship to get help, after watching a 30-min presentation on dating violence.
Principal Researcher Trish Campie
12 Jan 2016
Video

Long Story Short: How Do We Prevent Gun Violence?

The U.S. has more guns and more homicide deaths per capita than any other nation in the world. In this video interview, Patricia Campie, AIR principal researcher, talks about what everyone can do to prevent gun violence.
Counselor with client
5 Jan 2016
Commentary

What Can We Do About Gun Violence While We Wait for Congress to Act?

What can be done right now to prevent firearms violence—from suicide, to rampages by those who are mentally ill, to acts of terrorism—without heavy reliance on the federal government? Patricia Campie suggests what states, cities, employers, and communities can do.
Karen Francis
18 Dec 2015
Video

Long Story Short: How Can We Improve Outcomes for Girls in the Juvenile Justice System?

Over the past two decades, the number of young women entering the juvenile justice system has steadily increased. In this video interview, Karen Francis, AIR principal researcher, talks about how the juvenile justice system can best respond to girls’ unique needs and experiences.
Project

Social Media Support for VetoViolence

Violence is a significant public health problem in the United States and around the world, affecting people from all walks of life. AIR supports the social media presence of the CDC project VetoViolence, which aims to stop violence before it starts.
College campus at night
13 Oct 2015
Toolkit

Safe Place Resource Kit: Trauma Sensitive Practice for Health Centers Serving Higher Education Students

Roughly one in five women nationally is sexually assaulted while in college. This diverse collection of tools uses trauma-informed care as a foundation for helping university health centers deal with this crisis.
Man with gun in pocket
19 Feb 2015
Commentary

Guns and Cars

Research shows that the mere presence of a weapon in a car can intensify deadly aggression. In this commentary for CNN, AIR expert Mary Vriniotis addresses the recent road rage death of a 44-year-old mother and the complex relationship between guns and cars.
Project

Safe and Successful Youth Initiative in Massachusetts (SSYI)

Youth violence disrupts communities and businesses, increases health care costs, and decreases property values—not to mention the human impact. The Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) in Massachusetts combines health and safety approaches to eliminating serious violence among high-risk, urban youth. Does it work? Three new AIR evaluations, announced by MA former governor Patrick, showed youth not involved in SSYI were 42% more likely to be incarcerated than youth who were.
1 Oct 2014
Report

The Impact of the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative on City-Level Youth Crime Victimization Rates

To address serious youth violence, particularly that involving guns, Massachusetts initiated the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative in 2011, providing a comprehensive public health approach to addressing young men, between the ages of 14-24, believed to be at “proven risk” for being involved with firearms.
Project

Longitudinal Evaluation of Women for Women International-Nigeria’s Men’s Engagement Program

With limited access to health services and education, patriarchal norms, and mounting violence, Nigerian women struggle to gain economic opportunities and equality. AIR evaluated a men's engagement program which includes training for men on issues such as the value of girls and women and violence against women.
Project

Understanding Community-Based Violence Prevention in Massachusetts

Between 2001 and 2010, Massachusetts recorded 639 homicide victims aged 14 to 24. In response, the state implemented a variety of violence reduction programs, most recently through the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative, which AIR and its partners are evaluating.
Project

Striving to Reduce Violence in Neighborhoods through Community Engagement

Two out of every three children were expected to be exposed to violence in 2013, according to a report by the Attorney General’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence. To support communities in implementing evidence-based violence prevention, CDC contracted with AIR to deliver training and technical assistance using a public health approach that features sustainable community coalitions.
3 Sep 2013
Report

What Works to Prevent Urban Violence Among Proven Risk Young Men?

Youth violence presents significant challenges across the U.S., disrupts communities and economic development, increases health care costs, and decreases property values—not to mention the human impact. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services contracted with justice experts from AIR—along with WestEd and the Justice Resource Institute—to study the development and implementation of the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative in 11 of the most violent communities across the state.
19 Jun 2013 | 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Event

National Center on Family Homelessness Hosts Congressional Briefing

On May 22, 2013, The National Center on Family Homelessness hosted a briefing with Congressional Caucus on Homelessness co-chairs—Representatives Eddie Bernice Johnson and Alcee Hastings—and Senator Patty Murray. More than 100 people participated and learned about experiences, challenges, and solutions facing children, youth, families, veterans, and individuals who are homeless.
29 Mar 2013
Toolkit

Preventing, Assessing, and Intervening in Teen Dating Abuse

AIR’s National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments has released a training toolkit on teenage dating abuse for instructional support personnel, such as guidance counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, and other professionals. Research shows that schools can make a difference in preventing interpersonal teen violence.

Project

Domestic Violence and Homelessness

The National Center on Family Homelessness is supporting Transitional Housing grantees of the Office of Violence Against Women at the U.S. Department of Justice. The project supports the transition of domestic violence survivors from homelessness to safe, stable, permanent housing.
15 Apr 2011
Report

Key Strategies for Violence and Substance Abuse Prevention I: Working with Children and Families

Three National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention publications highlight key prevention strategies: one for children and their families, another that targets the role of classroom and school environments, and a third that explores ways in which community-based strategies can contribute to the prevention of school violence and substance abuse.
5 Sep 2007
Report

Public School Practices for Violence Prevention and Reduction: 2003–04

School violence can lead to a disruptive and threatening environment, physical injury, and emotional stress, all of which can be obstacles to student achievement (Elliott, Hamburg, and Williams 1998). Educators have responded to the perceived threat of school violence by implementing programs designed to prevent, deter, and respond to the potential for violence in schools (Peterson, Larson, and Skiba 2001). In addition, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110) emphasizes the importance of safe learning environments by requiring schools to have a safety plan in place and to fund programs and practices intended to prevent and reduce violence in schools.  

21 Apr 2000
Guide

Safeguarding Our Children: An Action Guide

The purpose of this Action Guide is to help schools develop and implement a comprehensive violence prevention plan grounded in the principles of the Early Warning Guide. This Action Guide is based on evidence-based practices. Effective action plans are strategic, coordinated, and comprehensive. They involve schoolwide prevention, early intervention, and intensive services for students with significant emotional or behavioral needs, including those with disruptive, destructive, or violent behaviors.

25 Aug 1998
Guide

Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools

A brief summary of the research on violence prevention and intervention and crisis response in schools.