Research and community wisdom support the fact that violence is preventable. Changing the underlying conditions that contribute to violence — in homes, schools, and neighborhoods — prevents it from occurring in the first place. Had we invested in extensive primary violence prevention programs over the past 15 years, this “new cycle of violence’’ could have been prevented
We must act to break this cycle for future generations by coupling existing investments in our criminal justice system and law enforcement with investments in primary prevention efforts that build on the assets of youth, families, and communities through peace education and restorative justice principles.
Clementina M. Chery
President and CEO
Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
Dorchester
The writer’s 15-year-old son, Louis D. Brown, was shot and killed in Dorchester on Dec. 20, 1993.
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