The National Network's approach has attracted significant media attention over twenty years. This page features the most recent coverage of our work and a searchable archive of media about the National Network's projects around the nation and abroad.
The National Network convenes regular conferences, working sessions and webinars to discuss and promote developments in its core areas of operation, showcase innovations, and set research and development priorities.
"Philadelphia District Attorney R. Seth Williams this week launched a new pre-trial felony diversion pilot program called Future Forward to provide individuals who have been charged with a non-violent felony crime an alternative to incarceration. The program, which is the first of its kind in the nation and the creation of the District Attorney himself, is designed to increase access to educational opportunities and reduce recidivism."
"How many survivors of gun violence have bullets lodged in their bodies? How many are paralyzed, must now use a colostomy bag, or are otherwise physically disabled or mentally damaged for life? How many young shooting victims will themselves commit murder in a kill-them-before-they–kill–me state of mind? How do you stop young people from shooting and murdering each other? The answer is this: You tell them to stop shooting and murdering each other."
"A diverse collection of local faith groups, advocacy organizations and government officials will unite next weekend to discuss one of the most challenging problems facing Michiana and communities around the country: gun violence."
"Staffing is being put in place for Savannah’s violence reduction initiative as preparations are made for the first “call-in” of individuals identified as the most likely to commit or fall victim to fatal violence in the city... As project manager, Maxine Bryant will oversee the initiative in conjunction with the Savannah-Chatham police department."
"San Francisco has rapidly reduced its jail and prison populations with a series of “best practices” innovations that have built on California’s well-publicized legislative reforms enacted since 2009, according to a research study released today.The study adds its success could serve as a model for the rest of the United States."
A recent evaluation by researchers at Yale University has concluded that Project Longevity has reduced gun violence in New Haven. According the to study “even accounting for a variety of alternative explanations, the implementation of Project Longevity in New Haven was associated with a reduction of nearly [five group-member involved] shootings and homicides per month.”
National Network Director David Kennedy appeared on a radio program to discuss the strategy being used in Rutland, VT to combat the city's heroin problem.
Andrew Papachristos is a professor at Yale University and a Senior Research Advisor for the National Network. He recently published this article as part of a New York Times' series asking: "Can Crime be Ethically Predicted?" Professor Papachristos offers a nuanced view of how data can be used in crime prevention.
"FBI Director James Comey had nothing but praise for Project Longevity in New Haven when he spoke Monday at the Building Bridges Conference. 'I think Project Longevity shows what can happen when law enforcement and the community come together,' Comey said. 'I believe New Haven is a place where some very creative things and work are being done.'"
"Two remaining indicted members of a high-volume drug cartel based in New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward pleaded guilty to state racketeering charges Monday (Nov. 16) in exchange for 25-year prison terms." New Orleans has employed the National Network's GVI approach and sought to obtain heavy federal sentences for some of its offenders as a result of their criminal histories. This piece highlights the success that New Orleans has had in achieving that goal.
"Among the mountains of programs devoted to addressing the plague of domestic violence, the police initiative in High Point, N.C., stands out for it bold approach to holding offenders accountable.Big Mountain Data will showcase the High Point Model in a documentary debuting this fall. “Turning Point” will tell the groundbreaking story of the program’s success so far. In three years, the city has nearly eliminated domestic violence homicides and decreased repeat offender recidivism."
National Network partners in Albany, Buffalo, and Newburgh recently took part in a discussion regarding the spread of gun violence in various communities in New York. "Curbing gun violence and homicides is the focus of a two-day conference in Saratoga Springs this week. Overseen by DCJS, the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) symposium has brought together 200 law enforcement professionals from 17 upstate counties."
New Orleans has been using National Network strategies since 2012. The call-in is a central method of communication that allows the GVI partnership to communicate directly with high risk individuals and offer them a path out away from violence.
"Police from across the state are in Peoria, because the river city is being recognized for its efforts to cut violent crime.Departments from all over Illinois are represented with officers coming from as far as Joliet and Rockford to hear about Peoria’s Don't Shoot program.They hope to use what they learn to make their communities safer."
"A policing strategy focused on a small population that causes most of the violence in the city was among at the topics at the Oct. 21 city-wide public safety council meeting.Entitled “Where do we go from here?”, the meeting drew more than 100 residents to the Pittsburgh Project building on the North Side, prompting Assistant Chief Scott Schubert to comment he appreciated the “great turnout.The meeting began with a presentation on the Group Violence Intervention (GVI) policing strategy by Commander Larry Scirotto and Detective Amy Mattia, Major Crimes"."
"Though New Haven was not officially represented on the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, many of the strategies the city has implemented over the last few years are reflected in that group’s final report.The city’s top police officers got to hear how their efforts at community policing have influenced the task force’s recommendations to President Obama and his successor at the beginning of Thursday’s weekly Compstat data-sharing meeting at 1 Union Ave."
"After implementing an approach specifically designed to stop gang violence in 2012, authorities in New Orleans saw “a statistically significant reduction above and beyond changes observed in comparable lethally violent cities,” write researchers Nicholas Corsaro and Robin S. Engel, of the University of Cincinnati. Among key outcomes, they found a 17 percent reduction in overall homicides, a 32 percent reduction in gang homicides, and a 26 percent reduction in homicides involving young Black male victims."
"In Rutland, the number of crimes related to drug use is plummeting, hundreds of people are receiving addiction treatment, and notorious drug dens are being razed and replaced by parks. It’s an aggressive counterattack, called Project Vision, that has enlisted residents and community leaders in a sweeping collaboration that is gaining national attention."
IAN THOMAS JANSEN-LONNQUIST FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
"The U.S. Attorney’s Office said it knows the precise number of shootings prevented each month in New Haven thanks to an anti-gang-violence initiative: 4.6. The office released that official number to argue that the initiative, 'Project Longevity,' has succeeded in cutting gun violence in New Haven."
Connecticut's Project Longevity practices direct engagement with high risk individuals in order help them turn their lives around. New Haven has been working under Project Longevity since 2012.
" Police plan to analyze criminal social networks in an attempt to reveal who is most likely to be involved in violent crime, either as an offender or as a victim."
Newburgh, NY is beginning call-ins as part of its Group Violence Intervention. GVI has a successful track record that Newburgh will look to build upon.
"Following recent deadly police-citizen encounters, such as those in Ferguson, Charleston, New York City, Baltimore, and elsewhere, trust in the police has plummeted. Gallup recently reported that confidence in the police has reached a 22-year low and is much lower among blacks, who have borne the brunt of both crime and overly aggressive policing. This is an urgent matter of public safety, because in communities that feel estranged, citizens are less likely to work in collaboration with the police, reporting crimes, or acting as witnesses."
"Where we worry most, we can help the least; and where we could help most, we care the least. Stopping gun violence is all about knowing where to start."
Some of the National Network's longtime partners and the newly announced IIP's advisory board are among 130 police chiefs, prosecutors and sheriffs are adding their clout to the movement to reduce the nation’s incarceration rate.
