Implementation of a Community Gun Violence Prevention Program: A Focus on Outreach Workers' Efforts

A multifaceted, community gun violence prevention program modeled after Chicago's Ceasefire program will be implemented in the Spring of 2007 in two areas in Baltimore with high rates of shootings. The program will be implemented by community-based organizations with oversight from the Baltimore City Health Department and will include community mobilization and public education to change social norms that support violence. Outreach workers will identify and intervene in conflicts to prevent escalation to violence, and also providing mentoring and referrals to services that promote safer lifestyles. We will report on how the program is being implemented and describe the activities of the outreach workers. This will include descriptions of the circumstances surrounding potentially lethal conflicts identified by outreach workers, and how they attempted to deescalate the conflict to reduce the likelihood of serious violence.