First Things First… 

For too long, the U.S. has relied on punishment and incarceration as its primary violence prevention tools. Yet, we know that investing in community-based solutions makes us safer. I have seen that lasting change and safety come not from punishment, but from healing, opportunity, and addressing the root causes of violence.

I know this firsthand because I came to this work through public health training and working directly with survivors. After college, I worked with immigrant survivors of domestic violence and saw how the criminal justice system intimidated them, proved difficult to navigate, and often failed to meet their needs, especially for those whose first language was not English. 

I later funded advocacy efforts to end the practice of handcuffing incarcerated women while they gave birth– an inhumane and deeply traumatizing way to bring life into the world. That work sharpened my understanding of how harm is embedded within the very systems meant to protect us.

While working at a School of Public Health, I began to connect the dots between interpersonal and community violence. I saw more clearly that violence follows patterns, and that we can address harm in ways that are creative, evidence-led, community-based, and not reliant on the criminal justice system.

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Seeing violence upstream, not just at the point of arrest‍

Working with survivors also showed me that violence begets violence. I saw that survivors and people who caused harm were shaped by similar underlying trauma. As I supported survivors of domestic violence, I held deep empathy for them. At the same time, I listened to stories about the people who caused harm, learning that many had experienced abuse as children or within their families. 

Violence doesn’t appear in a vacuum. It is shaped by trauma, isolation, economic precarity, and a lack of support. Those same forces often influence whether someone can leave an abusive situation.

Looking at these experiences through a public health lens, it is clear to me that trauma and harm are typically present in communities experiencing violence. This reframe helped me understand violence as something patterned and preventable, not random or inevitable. Violence is now categorized as an epidemic and a contagious disease, meaning that people who have witnessed or survived violence are more likely to be involved in future violence.

This perspective fundamentally shifted how I think about safety. A public health approach helps us identify risk, anticipate where violence may occur, and intervene before harm happens. It makes clear that if we only act after harm occurs, we have already failed to protect people. Real safety requires upstream solutions– addressing root causes and investing in communities long before the point of arrest.

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‍The Good News: You’ve Got Options

I came to understand that the work I led, using a public health lens to prevent violence,  also kept people out of jail and prison. At The Just Trust, I led the Safer Communities Accelerator, a community of organizations advancing innovative solutions that prevent crime, repair harm, increase accountability, and build stronger, safer communities. 

A few strategies that have proven to move people away from arrest and incarceration and towards healing and services that address their underlying needs, include: 

• Community violence intervention (CVI) detects and interrupts violent conflicts before they occur, supports survivors when harm does happen, and helps prevent retaliation.
• Pre-arrest diversion and deflection programs connect people in crisis to social services, mental health care, and addiction treatment, redirecting them away from jail or prison and toward the support they need. 
• Pre-trial restorative justice programs focus on first-time or low-level offenses, offering individuals the opportunity to take accountability for harm and pursue healing outside the traditional court process.

These proactive strategies focus on the right interventions at the right time. They don’t ignore harm; they aim to prevent it, reduce its severity, and ensure accountability when it occurs. These solutions are strategic and proven to get results.

Check out some of the Safer Communities Accelerator groups here: You've Got Options Video Series

We also need to fund this work and demand that our government does as well. These proven solutions – working in tandem with local law enforcement – are losing funding and shutting down at alarming rates. In 2025, The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs cut roughly half of the funding to the community violence intervention field (approximately $145M). Programs that work, save lives, and strengthen communities have been affected. 

Looking Ahead: The Future of Safety in America 

We can’t incarcerate our way to safety. Real safety comes from addressing underlying trauma, preventing harm before it happens, and making sure people get the help they need when they need it. 

I think about the women and families I worked with who faced violence—and what might have been different if they hadn’t been pulled into the criminal justice system, and if those who caused harm had received trauma-informed care before it was too late.

By expanding how we create safety in this country, we can better support people while reducing our reliance on prisons and jails. I know the world I want to live in, one that puts health and safety first and invests in people, not just punishment.

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