About Cure Violence
Cure Violence stops the spread of violence by using the methods and strategies associated with disease control – detecting and interrupting conflicts, identifying and treating the highest risk individuals, and changing social norms – resulting in reductions in violence of up to 70%.
Cure Violence is a teaching, training, research and assessment NGO focused on a health approach to violence prevention. The Cure Violence health model is used by more than 50 communities in the U.S., as well as countries ranging from El Salvador to South Africa to Syria. Cities and organizations implementing the Cure Violence health model regularly experience reductions in violence within the first year ranging from 40-70% and greater reductions in subsequent years. We provide cities and organizations with the training and technical assistance to effectively implement the Cure Violence model. We are currently focusing our efforts on three parts of the world: the United States, Latin America, and the Middle East/North Africa.
Cure Violence is also leading a movement to treat violence as a health problem. We intend to fundamentally change the discourse on and approach to violence from the prevailing paradigm that understands violence as moral corruption or human failing that applies punitive strategies to address the issue, to one that includes an understanding and addressing of violence as a health problem – a contagious epidemic. To do so successfully, we are activating voices and resources throughout our comprehensive health system and establishing violence prevention as a health sector responsibility and imperative.
Violence Interrupters
Violence Interrupters are people that are from the neighborhood and have direct ties to the community. These individuals are not naive to what is happening on the streets and can directly relate to the issues facing their communities. They have personal experience with street activity, such as gang issues, selling drugs, being shot at, doing jail time, and more.
Cure Violence attributes its ongoing success to the use of Violence Interrupters. Marcus McAllister, International Training and Implementation Specialist, works around the world for Cure Violence says “Throughout the country, we have 61 sites that are doing Cure Violence models. I would go on a limb and say, at least 75% of interrupters, if not more, have been incarcerated, have been locked up, have been in gangs – but they changed their lives…they use their influence to change somebody and say, ‘It’s not worth it. You don’t need to kill anybody. There is a better way to approach the situation’.”
