CVI Models

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion defines the social determinants of health as “the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.”

Using the same framework, we can define the determinants of safety as conditions in the environments where people live, work, and play that affect the circumstances and behavior of themselves and others in ways that make their environments more – or less – safe. These conditions include (but are not limited to) the availability or lack of stable housing, livable incomes, adequate nutrition, quality education, healthy social structures, and safe physical environments. This framework views community violence as a public health concern, one that can be exacerbated by racist and unequal systems of investment and power in our communities.

CVI strategies can take different forms, based on the needs and opportunities within a community. While community voices and relevant data should guide the development of a locality’s CVI strategy, all CVI models seek to reduce violence through means other than arrest or incarceration by engaging those at highest risk of violence in holistic, coordinated interventions designed to help them achieve wellness, healing, and long-term success. Common elements of a comprehensive community safety strategy include:

Violence interruption

Violence interruption strategies – often called "street outreach" – seek to stop imminent incidents of violence by mediating conflicts and encouraging peaceful ways to resolve disputes. This strategy uses trained violence interrupters, trusted credible messengers with the professional expertise and personal connections to intervene when violence is occurring or imminent, or in the immediate aftermath of an incident to prevent retaliatory violence. Many interrupters have lived experience with violence and justice system involvement and have close ties to the communities they serve. They are attuned to the dynamics between groups and individuals in the community and they have the standing to build relationships with the highest-risk residents and offer healthier alternatives to violence. Read the story of one violence interrupter in Washington, DC.

Hospital-based violence intervention

Hospital-based violence intervention programs are a form of violence interruption that leverages partnerships with trauma centers or emergency rooms to identify and engage individuals admitted with violent injuries who are at high risk of repeat victimization. These programs aim to interrupt the cycle of violence and retaliation by providing trauma-informed care, services, and safety planning to victims of violence and to their friends and families in a hospital setting, as well as connections to long-term resources within the community. Read about how this works at Yale New Haven Hospital.

Group-based violence intervention

The majority of community violence is caused by a small number of people. Group-based violence intervention focuses on communicating directly with those people most at risk of becoming involved in violence, providing intensive services, connections to opportunity, and – as a last resort – narrowly focused enforcement. Read more in this white paper from the National Network for Safe Communities. Learn how LISC partners provide vulnerable young people with alternatives to involvement with gangs and violence.

Prevention strategies

Prevention strategies can be an important complement to violence intervention as part of a holistic approach to addressing community violence. Common prevention strategies include Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), which considers how the design of the physical environment, including buildings or spaces in a community, can minimize opportunities for crime to occur in specific places. Learn more about CPTED and how it helped reduce violence in one San Antonio neighborhood. Youth-focused strategies such as after-school programs that engage young people in constructive activities and teach emotional regulation skills can also play a key role in prevention.

Learn what CVI is and explore the key elements of this work.

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