Project Safe Neighborhoods
Encyclopedia
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a national initiative by the United States Department of Justice
to reduce gun violence in the United States
. The project is a partnership designed to develop, implement, and evaluate data-driven violence reduction strategies in communities, and improve the long-term prevention of gun violence. Project Safe Neighborhoods was established in 2001 through support from President George W. Bush
. The program expands upon strategies used in Boston
's Operation Ceasefire
, and in Richmond, Virginia
's Project Exile
.
PSN initiatives typically involve United States Attorneys working with local law enforcement to implement programs such as: Gang Crime Investigation and Suppression, Prevention and Education, Gang Resistance Education and Training
(G.R.E.A.T.), and Data Sharing and Gathering. Each local strategy incorporates the three national priorities:
Nearly half a million people are victims of gun-crime each year. Since 2001, over $1.5 billion of federal dollars
have been allocated to support Project Safe Neighborhoods. Funds have been used to hire additional prosecutor
s, and provide assistance to state and local jurisdictions in support of training and community outreach efforts.
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
to reduce gun violence in the United States
Gun violence in the United States
Gun violence in the United States is an intensely debated political issue in the United States. Gun-related violence is most common in poor urban areas and in conjunction with gang violence, often involving juveniles or young adults...
. The project is a partnership designed to develop, implement, and evaluate data-driven violence reduction strategies in communities, and improve the long-term prevention of gun violence. Project Safe Neighborhoods was established in 2001 through support from President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. The program expands upon strategies used in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
's Operation Ceasefire
Operation Ceasefire
Operation Ceasefire is a youth gun violence intervention strategy, first implemented in 1996 in Boston.-Boston:...
, and in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
's Project Exile
Project Exile
Project Exile was a federal program started in Richmond, Virginia in 1997. Project Exile shifted the prosecution of illegal technical gun possession offenses to federal court, where they carried a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison under the federal Gun Control Act of 1968,...
.
PSN initiatives typically involve United States Attorneys working with local law enforcement to implement programs such as: Gang Crime Investigation and Suppression, Prevention and Education, Gang Resistance Education and Training
Gang Resistance Education and Training
Gang Resistance Education And Training, abbreviated G.R.E.A.T., provides a school-based, police officer instructed program that includes classroom instruction and various learning activities, the use of law enforcement officers having several advantages...
(G.R.E.A.T.), and Data Sharing and Gathering. Each local strategy incorporates the three national priorities:
- Increased prosecution of violent organizations.
- Heightened enforcement of all federal laws.
- Renewed aggressive enforcement of federal firearms laws.
Nearly half a million people are victims of gun-crime each year. Since 2001, over $1.5 billion of federal dollars
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
have been allocated to support Project Safe Neighborhoods. Funds have been used to hire additional prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
s, and provide assistance to state and local jurisdictions in support of training and community outreach efforts.