Fixating on Experimentation Could Hinder Gun Violence Prevention

As gun violence devastates American cities, CVI efforts — which typically employ trusted community members to mediate conflicts and mentor at-risk individuals — have gained unprecedented funding. Chicago tripled its violence prevention budget between 2019 and 2021; Philadelphia committed $155 million for the 2022 fiscal year; the federal Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which passed in 2022, includes $250 million for community violence interventions; and cities and states across the country were able to use portions of the American Rescue Plan Act for CVI programming. 

But with this spotlight comes intense scrutiny. Policymakers and funders, desperate for solutions, are asking a deceptively difficult question: Do these programs work?

It’s a fair query — and a timely one with the future of federal funding and support for CVI efforts at risk with the incoming Trump administration. We should absolutely evaluate the impact of violence prevention strategies. The problem, however, lies in how we’re defining “work” and what evidence we accept as proof. Right now, a dangerously myopic view of scientific rigor threatens to undermine the field of community violence intervention at the very moment we need it most.

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