This blog post was written by Anthony Petrosino, Director, WestEd Justice & Prevention Research Center.

I am pleased to announce that the WestEd Justice & Prevention Research Center will partner again with George Mason University’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy to present a Congressional Briefing on Violence and Violence Prevention. It will take place on Tuesday, September 27 from 10am – 12pm in the Rayburn House Building, Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC.

The mass shooting in Orlando, FL, coupled with the everyday violence faced by many in urban, poor communities in the United States, has intensified the focus of policymakers and the media on the problem of violence. What does the best research say about the problem of violence and how to prevent it? This briefing will address that question.

Nancy Rodriguez, Director of the National Institute of Justice, will kick off the event with opening remarks.

A panel of distinguished researchers, policy experts, and educators will discuss the current state of knowledge about violence, and present cutting-edge approaches to violence reduction:

Thomas Simon, Associate Director for Science, Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
“Health Burden of Violence in the United States”

Richard Rosenfeld, Professor, University of Missouri – St. Louis
“Has the Great American Crime Decline Ended?”

Patricia Campie, Principal Researcher, American Institutes for Research
“Addressing the Root Causes of Urban Gun Violence”

Nancy La Vigne, Director, Justice Policy Center, Urban Institute
“Leveraging Community Voices in Violence Reduction”

Jeremy Richman, CEO, The Avielle Foundation
“Brain Health and Violence”

Laura Dugan, Professor, University of Maryland
“Do US Federal Actions Influence Rightwing Violence?”

April Zeoli, Associate Professor, Michigan State University
“Risks of, and Policy Interventions for, Firearm Use in Intimate Partner Violence”

David Schanzer, Associate Professor, Duke University
“Building Resilience to Violent Extremism Through Community Policing”

Please join us on Tuesday, September 27th from 10:00am-12:00pm. The event is open and free to the public, but seats are limited and pre-registration is required.

The agenda and registration are available at the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy website.