Building a safer community through proactive prevention and intervention

Violence is an urgent public health concern affecting millions of individuals, families, and communities annually in the United States. It is also a widespread community issue that can affect anyone in all life stages regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, race, socio-economic status, national origin, and religion (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2021). The adverse social, economic, and health effects of violence are detrimental for individuals and significant for families and communities; some negative consequences may persist throughout the community even if the violence has stopped (CDC, 2022). Examples of violence include but are not limited to mass shootings, hate crimes, physical and sexual assault, school violence, dating violence, and domestic violence. However, levels of violence can be reduced across communities over time and many individual acts of violence are preventable with effective intervention; we can reduce the adverse impacts on those affected. This journal issue publishes community prevention and intervention approaches that help reduce the risks and mitigate the adversities of violence ranging from a violence prevention training program for educational personnel to alleviate educational displacement in U.S. schools to a community-based initiative to educate and raise public awareness about targeted violence on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Violence can be manifested in overt and subtle forms or expressed verbally, psychologically, and/or physically (Wilkins et al., 2014). The motives behind violence may be rooted in cognitive biases, prejudiced beliefs, and animosity toward the targeted group where perceived differences may be used as a basis for the escalation into violent actions (National Institute of Justice, 2021; U.S. Department of Justice, 2023a). Violence may be a consequence of discriminatory behaviors, resulting in profound psychological ramifications, economic disparities, and broader social inequalities (Novotney, 2023). Meanwhile, extremism, characterized by radical ideologies and beliefs, can be manifested in violent and dangerous actions. The digital revolution has transformed lives globally, with online platforms serving as conduits for extremists to exert influence on youths worldwide (Binder & Kenyon, 2022). School violence is a form of violence that occurs in schools such as bullying, cyberbullying, gang violence, weapon use, and physical violence (CDC, 2021). Hate and extremism can create an adverse learning environment for youths, making them susceptible to violent extremist ideologies and subjecting them to the risk of potential recruitment (Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI], 2016).

In this issue of the Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community, you will find five empirical research articles that contribute to our knowledge of how to prevent and combat various forms of violence. Firstly, Sabic-El-Rayess and colleagues examined the epistemology of extremism, bias, and violence in schools and signs of educational displacement as a risk factor for radicalization using a sample of school students in 44 states in the U.S. In their article, the authors noted that poor teacher-student relationships including experiences with biased speech and behaviors can increase the propensity for students’ educational displacement. In the second article, the authors highlighted their program called Reimagine Resilience, which is developed to foster awareness and understanding among educators about the precursors and causes of educational displacement among school-age youths while stressing the importance of preventing displacement, extremism, and radicalization. The authors also shared the program’s success in fostering positive attitudinal shifts, raising awareness, and identifying strategies to mitigate the risk of educational displacement.

Gun violence, which entails the use of firearms to impose harm, is another type of violence and public health concern that has impacted the safety of many Americans (CDC, 2023a, 2023b). Gun violence can occur in different contexts ranging from accidental shootings, homicides, acts of terrorists, and mass shootings. It has a prevailing impact on the victims and casualties that extends beyond fatalities to include mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, strain on healthcare systems, and a widespread sense of community fear (Abrams, 2023; CDC, 2023a). Active shooter incidents, in particular, have become more widespread in recent years (FBI, 2023). In the third featured article of the issue, Clarke and colleagues offered support for the integration of evidence-based and trauma-informed services in a community-based out-of-school time program in neighborhoods with elevated levels of violent crime. Specifically, they shared their program model and insights learned from their Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Initiative implemented in southeastern Pennsylvania. The authors also provided recommendations to improve and broaden the provision of trauma-informed services, including fostering mutually beneficial community partnerships, administering universal trauma screening and routine mental health assessments, expanding the role of mental health professionals, integrating flexibility in implementation, and placing emphasis on practice-based and community-engaged research as a critical part of evidence-based clinical service delivery.

Bullying is another common occurrence in the U.S. that typically takes place when there is an imbalance of power where the perpetrator has perceived power over the victim. Common bullying tactics involve verbal (e.g., humiliation, name-calling), physical aggression, social exclusion, and infliction of harm on the possessions of the victim (CDC, 2023c). The repercussions of bullying encompass individual effects, including poor mental health, adverse physical health, decline in educational engagement, self-harm, and suicidal ideation (Armitage, 2021). The consequences of bullying extend beyond adversities in childhood and persist into adulthood, affecting their mental health, interpersonal relationships, and economic adaptation. In fact, many of the perpetrators of violence have experienced violence in their earlier lives (Wolke & Lereya, 2015). Despite its prevalence, this behavior can be prevented or stopped by bystanders. Bystanders play a critical role in reinforcing safety and promoting a safe environment. Effective bystanding can yield many positive outcomes for the community. Specifically, bystanders have the potential to prevent the escalation of dangerous behaviors and provide support to the victims, and help protect the community as upstanders (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018). As such, Booker and colleagues, in the fourth article of this issue, examined their Upstanding for Promotion-Prevention (UPP) Program consisting of a universal assembly presentation featuring both promotion-oriented and prevention-oriented education, along with a tailored workshop among high school students. The study also explored if motivation could serve as a predictor for program participation and act as a moderator of post-program outlook. They found that students in the prevention-tailored track exhibited enhanced safety beliefs and expressed a greater inclination toward employing defending actions than control-group students, attesting to the effectiveness of their program.

And closing out the themed issue with the fifth article, empowering the community with education is pivotal to creating a healthy future generation. The issue concludes with a description of REACH (Resilience, Education, Action, Commitment, and Humanity), a community-based initiative that employed a project design integrating a socio-ecological approach, underscoring the significance of recognizing the interplay among various ecological levels, including individuals, relationships, communities, and the broader societal and cultural contexts. The project was also developed based on the whole community approach that calls for shared responsibility from different stakeholders, as well as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s Global Citizen Education framework that advocates for collective efforts toward inclusiveness. REACH adopted a public health approach to violence prevention that focuses on awareness-raising, education, outreach, and community capacity-building to identify and deter radicalization and reduce the impact of long-term and short-term targeted violence using varied activities such as symposia, classroom presentations, educational workshops, community discussion groups, civil engagement activities, media campaigns, information and referral system, counseling, and health fairs. The intervention emphasizes the need to consider cultural competence and humanity in the formulation of large-scale intervention while stressing the importance of reducing social isolation to promote social integration in violence prevention initiatives.

In sum, lessons learned from the research featured in this issue provide evidence that effective community prevention and intervention initiatives hold the promise of fostering safer and healthier communities, which is foundational to national security, resilience, and sustainability (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2023). Equally important to this endeavor is the comprehensive understanding of the risk and protective factors critical in preventing and mitigating violence in various communities (Antunes & Ahlin, 2017; CDC, 2020). By developing evidence-based strategies that address the root causes of violence, long-lasting transformation can be achieved. Through community initiatives and programs that prioritize inclusion and diversity, we can collectively make a substantial contribution to reducing instances of hatred and creating a safe environment in which diverse segments of our society can thrive (U.S. Department of Justice, 2023b).

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Funding

The author reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.