NCJ Number
251576
Date Published
January 2016
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This eighth Quarterly Newsletter (July-September 2016) of the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ's) Violence Reduction Network (VRN) features the fourth VRN Summit, Network expansion, a VRN peer exchange to the Denver Crime Gun Intelligence Center, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Smart Suite Summit, site highlights and activities, and the newly launched Violence Reduction Clearinghouse.
Abstract
The fourth VRN Summit, held September 26-28, 2016, in Little Rock, Arkansas, was attended by representatives of all 15 VRN sites and representatives of various federal agencies providing resources to VRN sites. They heard instructive and motivational presentations and had collaborative working sessions with national practitioners and researchers. These sessions focused on a variety of innovative strategies for reducing violence. The DOJ has maintained its pledge to expand VRN, as it welcomed two new sites (Jackson, Mississippi and Nashville, Tennessee). Regarding networking and peer engagement, representatives from VRN sites Milwaukee, St. Louis, West Memphis, and Wilmington participated in a peer exchange at the Denver Crime Gun Intelligence Center to learn about techniques used to address gun crime. During this quarter, Phase 1 VRN sites focused on developing VRN sustainability plans in preparation for the conclusion of their 2-year engagement period. The Site Highlights section of this edition includes key elements of sustainability plans for the Phase 1 sites and recent activities that occurred in the Phase 2 and Phase 3 sites. Strategies for success are outlined. The Violence Reduction Clearinghouse is an innovative new tool that will change the way criminal justice practitioners find, save, and share violence-reduction resources. VRN cumulative statistics reported are as of September 30, 2016.