Hamilton Fish National Institute on School and Community Violence -- U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, The George Washington University

During the early 1990's, the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. General Accounting Office noted that most prior efforts to develop school violence prevention strategies had been hastily prepared, implemented for only short periods, and not rigorously evaluated. They urged that investments be made in rigorous research, development, and evaluation of programs to reduce violence in and around schools.

Their recommendations inspired the creation of the Hamilton Fish National Institute on School and Community Violence, which was founded in 1997 to serve as a national resource to test the effectiveness of school violence prevention methods and to develop more effective strategies. The Institute's goal is to determine what works, what does not work, and what can be replicated to reduce violence in schools and their immediate communities across the Nation.

Drawing from previous research on school violence and from the experience and knowledge of leading violence prevention experts, teachers, school administrators, and others, the Institute identifies the most promising violence prevention strategies and tests them in local schools. After strategies are identified, tested, and refined, the Institute disseminates this information to the public.

The Institute services include: (1) providing the most current information and analysis about the levels and trends of school violence in the Nation; (2) providing comprehensive literature reviews, research papers, and a searchable data base for resources on violence prevention topics; (3) consulting on effective strategies for school violence prevention; (4) assisting schools in conducting needs assessments for violence prevention and evaluating school violence interventions; and (5) providing assistance to practitioners and policymakers on the national, State, and local levels.

The Institute is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and is administered by George Washington University.

Contact information:

Dr. Paul Kingery, Director
1925 North Lynn Street, #305
Rosslyn, VA 22209
703­527­4217
703­527­8741 (Fax)
Web site: www.hfni.gsehd.gwu.edu

Promising Strategies to Reduce Gun Violence	OJJDP Report