Policy
VRC staff have advised hundreds of leaders on improving policies to save lives at the local, state, national, and international levels. For example, the VRC helped the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice develop their Violent Crime Roadmap, a one-stop-shop helping local jurisdictions access the Department’s resources to address community gun violence. Key resources are provided below.
VRC Policy Resources
Violent Crime Reduction Roadmap
U.S. Department of Justice, 2023.
The Violent Crime Reduction Roadmap (the Roadmap) helps local jurisdictions develop, implement, and evaluate the right set of strategies to prevent, intervene in, or respond to acts of community gun violence. Organized around the 10 essential actions to reduce community gun violence identified by the Council on Criminal Justice, the Roadmap can be used in at least two ways: (1) to guide new anti-violence efforts by following the actions in more or less sequential order, or (2) as an assessment tool or checklist for existing initiatives addressing community gun violence. For each action, the Roadmap lists the most relevant federal resources first, followed by other helpful resources.
Testimony before House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance.
Thomas Abt, 2023.
Abt’s testimony explores Washington, DC’s unique local/federal hybrid structure and offers concrete recommendations for addressing the city’s violent crime problem.
The U.S. Knows How to Reduce Violent Crime.
Thomas Abt, 2022. Wall Street Journal.
Amid rising crime rates, US cities should move past partisan politics and use evidence-based strategies.
Testimony before House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Thomas Abt, 2022.
This article covers issues to consider when re-imagining criminal justice in the Covid-19 era, advocating for the use of evidence-informed strategies for reducing community gun violence.
Necessary but Not Sufficient: The Police Role in Reducing Violence.
Thomas Abt, 2021. Police Chief Magazine
This article is a call to police chiefs across the United States to more seriously address community gun violence.
Protests Focus on Over-Policing, But Under-Policing is Also Deadly.
Rod Brunson, 2020. Washington Post.
While much attention has been paid to police maintaining a disproportionately large presence in disadvantaged communities, an often overlooked but important issue is that the same communities often do not receive the police services they need.