Defining CVI: A Critical Review of Current Conceptualizations and Their Implications for Policy, Research and Practice
Community Violence Intervention (CVI) operates at the critical intersection of public health and public safety, offering a community-driven approach to reducing violence while addressing its root causes. Grounded in principles of harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and social determinants of healt...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580251366146 |
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| author | Jordan Costa PhD Soledad Adrianzén McGrath JD Paul Carrillo |
| author_facet | Jordan Costa PhD Soledad Adrianzén McGrath JD Paul Carrillo |
| author_sort | Jordan Costa PhD |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Community Violence Intervention (CVI) operates at the critical intersection of public health and public safety, offering a community-driven approach to reducing violence while addressing its root causes. Grounded in principles of harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and social determinants of health, CVI reframes violence as a public health crisis rather than solely a criminal justice issue. Despite its promise and demonstrated impact, the field of CVI faces challenges that reflect broader gaps in public health policy. A lack of standardized definitions and measurement frameworks has led to fragmented policies, inconsistent funding, and difficulties in scaling evidence-informed approaches. These issues mirror struggles seen in other public health initiatives, where misalignment between research, practice, and policy weakens long-term sustainability. Without a clearly communicated conceptualization, CVI programs risk being co-opted into enforcement-driven models that dilute their public health foundation. This policy insight explores the challenges with definitional and measurement inconsistencies across the field of CVI and what they reveal about broader public health policy challenges. The authors argue that the field must adopt a unified framework that thoughtfully reflects its historical foundations, prioritizes practitioner expertise, and employs evaluation methods that fully capture its impact. By positioning CVI as a pillar of both public health and public safety, policymakers can move beyond reactionary approaches to violence and invest in long-term, community-driven strategies that promote safety and healing. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9c210024cb874385b907e6bbf4affa9f |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0046-9580 1945-7243 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| spelling | doaj-art-9c210024cb874385b907e6bbf4affa9f2025-08-20T03:03:17ZengSAGE PublishingInquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing0046-95801945-72432025-08-016210.1177/00469580251366146Defining CVI: A Critical Review of Current Conceptualizations and Their Implications for Policy, Research and PracticeJordan Costa PhD0Soledad Adrianzén McGrath JD1Paul Carrillo2Rutgers University Newark, NJ, USANorthwestern University, Evanston, IL, USAGiffords Center for Violence Intervention, San Francisco, CA, USACommunity Violence Intervention (CVI) operates at the critical intersection of public health and public safety, offering a community-driven approach to reducing violence while addressing its root causes. Grounded in principles of harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and social determinants of health, CVI reframes violence as a public health crisis rather than solely a criminal justice issue. Despite its promise and demonstrated impact, the field of CVI faces challenges that reflect broader gaps in public health policy. A lack of standardized definitions and measurement frameworks has led to fragmented policies, inconsistent funding, and difficulties in scaling evidence-informed approaches. These issues mirror struggles seen in other public health initiatives, where misalignment between research, practice, and policy weakens long-term sustainability. Without a clearly communicated conceptualization, CVI programs risk being co-opted into enforcement-driven models that dilute their public health foundation. This policy insight explores the challenges with definitional and measurement inconsistencies across the field of CVI and what they reveal about broader public health policy challenges. The authors argue that the field must adopt a unified framework that thoughtfully reflects its historical foundations, prioritizes practitioner expertise, and employs evaluation methods that fully capture its impact. By positioning CVI as a pillar of both public health and public safety, policymakers can move beyond reactionary approaches to violence and invest in long-term, community-driven strategies that promote safety and healing.https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580251366146 |
| spellingShingle | Jordan Costa PhD Soledad Adrianzén McGrath JD Paul Carrillo Defining CVI: A Critical Review of Current Conceptualizations and Their Implications for Policy, Research and Practice Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| title | Defining CVI: A Critical Review of Current Conceptualizations and Their Implications for Policy, Research and Practice |
| title_full | Defining CVI: A Critical Review of Current Conceptualizations and Their Implications for Policy, Research and Practice |
| title_fullStr | Defining CVI: A Critical Review of Current Conceptualizations and Their Implications for Policy, Research and Practice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Defining CVI: A Critical Review of Current Conceptualizations and Their Implications for Policy, Research and Practice |
| title_short | Defining CVI: A Critical Review of Current Conceptualizations and Their Implications for Policy, Research and Practice |
| title_sort | defining cvi a critical review of current conceptualizations and their implications for policy research and practice |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580251366146 |
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