NCJ Number
186233
Date Published
1999
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This chapter presents a comprehensive public health strategy for addressing the multiple factors that contribute to homicide.
Abstract
Under this strategy, homicide is approached from the perspective of a disease model, one for which an integration of multiple solutions is appropriate. The authors advise that the public health strategy presented does not provide ready-made solutions for the homicide problem; rather, it provides a process through which analysis and action are combined to continually improve society's ability to reduce the impact of homicide and assaultive violence. The primary contributions of this approach include a focus on prevention, using science to identify effective strategies, and integrating the efforts of a broad array of people and organizations in research and programmatic efforts to find solutions. From a public health perspective, the development and implementation of effective policies for preventing violence must be firmly grounded in science and attentive to unique community perceptions and conditions. The authors note that there is currently no clear and systematic infrastructure to facilitate the transfer of appropriate violence prevention programs, services, and technology into the community; cost-benefit analyses of various configurations of services by setting, types of service personnel, and levels of training are sorely lacking; consequently, a vastly increased research and development investment is needed in these areas. In addition, the potential roles of the private sector and combined public-private efforts must be more seriously addressed. If policymakers effectively use knowledge to strategically allocate resources among health care, education, and research programs, there is reason to believe that the prevalence of homicide and assaultive violence in American society can be significantly reduced. 3 tables and 27 references