Co-authored by Assata M. Thomas, MARJ Executive Director, Division of Reentry, Office of Public Safety, City of Philadelphia
Cities across the country continue searching for solutions to gun violence. Yet too often, our responses remain reactive rather than strategic. We respond after harm occurs instead of investing deeply in the conditions that prevent violence in the first place.
If we are serious about reducing gun violence, we must expand how we define public safety. For decades, public safety has largely been measured by what happens after a crime occurs: arrests made, cases prosecuted and sentences imposed. While accountability remains an important part of the equation, it cannot be the entirety of our strategy. The most effective public safety systems are not simply those that respond to harm; they are those that prevent harm from occurring in the first place.
Public safety is not limited to enforcement. It includes prevention, stabilization, intervention, behavioral health, workforce development, housing access and successful reentry. These are not separate social service conversations. They are public safety strategies.
The Challenge: Working in Silos
The communities most impacted by gun violence are often the same communities disproportionately impacted by incarceration, unemployment, poverty, untreated trauma and systemic disinvestment. Treating these issues in silos weakens outcomes for cities and communities alike.
Gun violence prevention requires coordinated systems. It requires city agencies, probation and parole departments, schools, workforce providers, violence interruption programs, behavioral health organizations, employers and community leaders working from a shared strategy rather than fragmented efforts.
Too often, cities fund programs independently, measure outcomes independently and operate independently while expecting collective impact. Yet violence does not occur in a silo, and neither should the solutions. Municipal leaders must begin viewing public safety through a systems lens — one that recognizes the interconnected nature of housing, employment, education, health and justice.
Why Reentry Matters
In cities nationwide, leaders are beginning to recognize that successful reentry is directly connected to violence reduction. Individuals returning home from incarceration who cannot access employment, housing, identification, transportation, mentorship or support remain vulnerable to instability and recidivism. Those barriers do not only impact individuals; they impact neighborhoods, families and overall community safety. This is why in Philadelphia, the Office of Reentry Partnerships views reentry as part of the city’s public safety infrastructure.
When municipalities invest in coordinated reentry ecosystems, they create pathways that reduce the likelihood of future system involvement while increasing community stability. Workforce development, cognitive behavioral interventions, restorative practices, neighborhood-based resource centers and cross-sector partnerships are not “extra” programs. They are strategic violence prevention tools.
The conversation must also move beyond reducing recidivism alone. Success should not simply be measured by whether someone avoids re-arrest. It should be measured by whether individuals are able to secure employment, stabilize their housing, reconnect with family, contribute to their communities and build sustainable futures. Those outcomes strengthen neighborhoods and improve public safety for everyone.
A New Framework for Public Safety
The question for city leaders is no longer whether these approaches matter. The question is whether municipalities are willing to align systems, funding and policy decisions around what evidence and lived experience continue to show us.
We cannot arrest our way out of violence. Enforcement has a role. Accountability has a role. But sustainable public safety also requires prevention and opportunity. It requires cities to address root causes while building systems that support long-term stability.
The cities seeing the greatest decline in gun violence are increasingly embracing comprehensive approaches that combine enforcement, prevention, intervention and reentry. They understand that public safety is strongest when residents have pathways to stability and when communities have the resources necessary to thrive.
Communities deserve more than reaction after tragedy strikes. They deserve intentional investment in strategies that reduce harm before it occurs.
Take Action
To move this work forward, elected officials can act by:
- Advocating for public safety strategies that prioritize prevention alongside enforcement.
- Supporting policies and budgets that invest in housing, behavioral health, workforce development and reentry systems.
- Encouraging greater coordination across agencies and sectors by pushing for shared goals, data and accountability, while strengthening partnerships with community-based organizations, employers and local leaders.
- Supporting fair-chance hiring, expanding access to critical reentry resources and promoting programs that address trauma and instability.
- Shifting how success is measured — focus not only on reduced recidivism, but on long-term outcomes like employment, housing stability and community connection
- Elevating the voices and leadership of those with lived experience to ensure solutions are grounded in reality and built for lasting impact.
Bottom Line
The path to safer communities depends on a collective willingness to invest in systems that prevent violence before it occurs, while strengthening the conditions that allow individuals and neighborhoods to thrive. This means recognizing that prevention, reentry and stability are not secondary priorities, but core components of public safety.
Cities must move beyond reactive approaches and instead build coordinated, long-term strategies that expand opportunity, reduce harm and support sustainable success. As we bring Gun Violence Prevention Month to a close, the real question is not whether these investments are possible — it is whether communities can afford to continue without them.
About the Author
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