Violence prevention is a broad term for all kinds of efforts geared toward stopping an act of violence from happening or preventing retaliatory violence.
The CDC defines the public health approach to violence prevention in four steps: define and monitor the problem; identify risk and protective factors; develop and test prevention strategies and assure widespread adoption.
Street-based violence interventions, also called community violence interventions, are programs that focus on people who are most at risk of being a victim of or committing an act of firearm violence. These programs are rooted in a public health approach to preventing firearm violence. They also focus on communities that not only face high rates of violence, but those that also deal with disinvestment, systemic racism and other public health issues.
These interventions also rely on credible messengers, meaning people who are from the community and have been involved with firearm violence, whether as a victim or perpetrator. Programs are not only focused on breaking the cycle of violence, but also aim to provide people with access to things like housing and employment. Those issues in particular often go hand in hand with the risk of being a victim or perpetrator.
Another type of violence prevention are hospital-based violence intervention programs. Medical staff connect shooting victims to violence interrupters from their communities who can then provide emotional support and assistance with navigating resources and social services. This is an important form of intervention because it’s usually performed immediately after a shooting happens and while the victim and their loved ones are still at the hospital. It also helps to prevent retaliatory violence.