This paper by Marianne Perez provides a snapshot of the current state of violence in the United States and a sampling of proven, statistically verifiable programs that successfully prevent and reduce violence.  While these programs remain hampered by inadequate and inconsistent funding, lack of resources, and limited geographic reach, the fact remains that they are beneficial for Americans’ social well-being and for Americans’ financial bottom line.

The good news about violence in the United States is that Americans have found incredibly innovative and resourceful ways to address violence and its root causes.  All that is missing, as noted in the paper's conclusions, is an infrastructure to give these programs more visibility and viability, allocate them more funding resources, and to make them a matter of local, state, and national policy.
 
Click HERE to view and download Making Cents of Peacebuilding without appendix. Click HERE to view and download Making Cents of Peacebuilding with appendix of FBI data on incidence of violence in America and of fact sheets on violence prevention programs that are working.