Homicide: Recurring Themes
The Homicide Task Force identified a number of recurring themes in the information it received that ultimately shaped the group's recommendations. Those themes include:
Homicide is the symptom, not the illness
Homicides will not be significantly reduced until violent conflicts are reduced
Homicide is not just a police problem; no community can simply arrest their way out of homicide and violence
The availability and the value placed on guns is a prevailing factor in the homicide rate
Growing the network of prevention services is the community's greatest violence reduction need
Violence prevention must target young people; the earlier the intervention the better
Solving the homicide problem requires addressing the causative factors of violence: poverty, abuse, single parent homes, mental health issues, low education, lack of employment opportunities, low self esteem, substance abuse and lack of life skills
Homicides bring a tremendous cost to the community and affect, in some manner, everyone in the community
Homicide reduction will require the efforts and will of the entire community, through strong collaborative partnerships, to develop a holistic approach to violence reduction
Violence and its tragic outcomes will not be significantly reduced until the community is sufficiently outraged and takes ownership of the issue
Community education and awareness of the dynamics of homicide are the keys to ownership of the homicide problem
There are no short term sustainable solutions to the homicide problem