Op-Ed: Preventing violence in our community is about more than policing

Three years-old. That is how old Elijah LaFrance was when he was killed this past Saturday night after attending a birthday party in Miami. Another senseless murder. Another family and another community left to live with grief and sorrow. As witnesses of this recurrent tragedy, we are left to wonder what is happening in our communities? Do we need more police and stricter laws to stop the killings?

Sadly, the shootings and homicides that we are unfortunately experiencing here in Miami-Dade are also happening throughout the United States. For example, the Council on Criminal Justice, of which one of us is a member of, reported that homicides as well as rates of aggravated assaults and gun assaults have increased. As a case in point: in a sample of 34 US Cities, homicide rates were 30% higher than in 2019. And these trends appear to be continuing into 2021.

Preventing homicide is not an easy task, especially because most homicides are situational and unplanned. But there is substantial scientific evidence that relying on evidence-based strategies to reduce violence in communities helps prevent homicides as well. We know that people who end up killing others engage in other forms of violent behaviors and criminal activities. We know that different forms of violence are connected to each other, share risk and protective factors, and are preventable. We also know that intentionally addressing various forms of criminal activity and violence helps prevent homicides.

Police and others in the criminal justice system play an important role in crime prevention. Many of their strategies are successful such as hot spots policing, shot spotter, and re-entry services. But research tell us that we should not put all of the burden on law enforcement strategies given the growing number of non-police violence prevention strategies found to be cost-effective and sustainable.

One of the most promising non-police prevention efforts is the adoption of community outreach or violence interrupters. These individuals, often people with close ties to residents in the communities they serve, form relationships directly with at-risk youth, guide them away from a life of crime, and help thwart the potential for violence and gun shootings. Whether referred to as Cure Violence, Group Violence Intervention (used here in Miami-Dade), or Advance Peace, these strategies have been found to reduce violence and homicides.

Another set of non-police violence prevention strategies focus on improving the physical environment. Efforts at improving green space, improved street lighting, as well as placed-based situational strategies such as roadway and traffic control enhancements have all been found to decrease the opportunity for crime and violence to occur.

Other programs aimed to support and engage youth, such as the summer jobs program promoted by Miami-Dade Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, get children off the streets and into jobs that teach them a whole lot more than earning a paycheck, including pro-social behaviors and social skills necessary for success. Additionally, more long-term strategies that focus on teaching children self-regulation skills and empathy such as the Stop Now and Plan program and The Roots of Empathy which are used throughout Canada and the United States, including here in Miami-Dade, have been found to reduce involvement in a range of antisocial behaviors.

Lastly, efforts need to continue at reducing substance abuse and attending to the significant mental health problems that many offenders evince. Here in Miami-Dade, Judge Leifman has been spearheading an effort to keep mentally ill persons out of incarceration and into the treatment programs they need.

These strategies are evidence-based. They are cost-effective. And they target risk and protective factors for violence outside the sphere of influence of the criminal justice system. All of these are focused on doing the right thing: Investing in places and its people so that we have no more tragedies like the one involving Elijah.

Our op-ed is now live at the Sun Sentinel online.