Violence is preventable, not inevitable
Violence is preventable, not inevitable. There is a strong and growing evidence base, grounded in research and experiential evidence (practitioner and community wisdom) that supports this fact. The community knows what it takes to prevent violence in the first place. Changing the underlying conditions that contribute to violence—in homes, schools, and neighborhoods—prevents violence from occurring in the first place.
Shifting the paradigm away from a single-program focus to a broader national, state, and city strategy, the Institute engages leaders from multiple sectors and cultivates a systems approach to developing effective prevention initiatives that precede the need for criminal justice intervention.
Prevention Institute has taken a leadership role in designing strategic initiatives, tools, and alliances for preventing violence. It has trained more than 15,000 leaders and practitioners through its Partnerships for Preventing Violence, a national initiative funded collaboratively by the federal Departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services. Via initiatives like Prevention Connection, the Institute has provided online training for practitioners and advocates in primary prevention of violence against women as well as other forms of violence, including sexual assault, child abuse and exploitation, and suicide.
Recognizing violence as a crucial prevention issue for health and equity, the Institute has made a major commitment to helping cities devise coherent plans and strategies for reducing and preventing violence. Catalyzing national momentum, the Institute launched UNITY (Urban Networks to Increase Thriving Youth through Violence Prevention) in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).