Prosecutor offices can play a significant role in decreasing gun violence. An increase in gun violence across the United States has left communities and city governments uncertain about how to respond effectively. While the latest data shows shootings declining in some areas, the number of deaths and injuries brought on by gun violence has increased significantly over the last decade and is even more pronounced following the pandemic.1 Prosecutors, who have political authority, relationships with government agencies, connections to impacted communities, and access to relevant data, are ideally positioned to convene stakeholders, raise funds, and otherwise champion effective solutions to this critical issue.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Crime and Justice Policy Lab worked with Prosecutors’ Center for Excellence to highlight ways in which prosecutors have taken the lead in attacking gun violence in their communities. These methods include partnering with local organizations on multi-stakeholder strategies, developing their own gun violence reduction programs, and raising funds to support new programming and new partners. The authors looked at prosecutor offices in Delaware County, Pennsylvania; Lake County, Illinois; Oakland County, Michigan; and Ramsey County, Minnesota. The challenges faced by these four offices, as well as their available resources, are like many others across the country.
Prosecutor Initiatives to Reduce Gun Violence
Kristine Hamann (Prosecutors’ Center for Excellence) and Alyssa Mendlein (University of Pennsylvania’s Crime and Justice Policy Lab), October 2024
