Community Violence Reduction Strategies: An Overview Review of What Works

• In Event: Evidence-Informed Approaches to Reducing Violence and Violent Extremism

Abstract

Given public concerns regarding violent crime, we can better inform public policy and community responses to it by knowing what works and what does not based on scientific evidence. In this study, we completed a Campbell Collaboration systematic meta-review, updating Abt and Winship’s (2016) original meta-review on this topic. We extracted evidence from meta-analyses reporting on interventions intended to reduce crime and/or violence, with reviews ranging from 1990 to 2023. Ultimately, we identified over 160 meta-analyses, evaluating forty-five categories of interventions. Both people and place-based approaches were evaluated, as well as the quality of the evidence. Selected findings and policy implications will be discussed.

Authors

• Catherine Kimbrell, George Mason University

• David Wilson, George Mason University

• Thomas Abt, University of Maryland

• William Johnson, George Mason University