5 Ways States Can Reduce Violent Crime

Solve more violent crime to increase accountability. 

Why: Only 44% of violent crimes reported to law enforcement were solved in 2024, according to the CSG Justice Center’s September 2025 analysis of FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data.¹ Although violent crime solve rates have rebounded to their highest levels since 2017 in many states,² far too many cases go unsolved. This leaves people who commit violence unaccountable, fuels cycles of harm and retaliation, and undermines victims’ and communities’ trust in the system to provide safety and justice.

How: States can help solve more violent crimes with strategic support and assistance.  

• Convene diverse stakeholders including law enforcement leaders, prosecutors, community violence prevention practitioners, researchers, victim advocates, faith leaders, and residents to examine why violent crimes go unsolved and co-develop solutions. 
• Strengthen local investigations by building statewide capacity through detective academies, investigative support units, training, and improved crime lab operations while also directing grant funding and resources to law enforcement agencies where they are needed most.  
• Track violent crime solve rates alongside other system indicators to pinpoint where challenges are concentrated, understand factors that affect investigative outcomes, and build a clear, comparable picture of unsolved violent crime in your state. 

Go Deeper: Our State Policy Guide for Solving More Violent Crime offers concrete actions and examples from other states to help inform policymakers’ next steps in addressing unsolved violent crime in your state.  

Prioritize violence prevention and intervention.

Why: Roughly half of violent crimes are never reported to law enforcement,³ highlighting the urgent need for community-based strategies that can prevent and reduce violence. Prevention strategies offer the highest long-term return on investment, helping communities build resilience and safety over time, while community-based violence intervention programs provide an evidence-informed, community-centered approach to the real-time disruption of cycles of violence and retaliation. 

Every state has communities that are disproportionately impacted by violent crime and are often under-resourced. Research has shown that targeted, evidence-based investments in these communities can prevent violent crime and reduce victimization.⁴ 

How: Develop and fund a statewide crime prevention and intervention strategy. As part of the plan, use data to focus evidence-informed violence prevention and intervention efforts in communities most impacted by violent crime. This can include increasing social and public health services, supporting responsive violence-reduction programs, and improving neighborhood infrastructure. 

Go Deeper: Community Violence Intervention (CVI) and Community Violence Prevention (CVP) programs have shown promising results in reducing violence by focusing on people at a high risk of engaging in violence and providing mentorship, job training or transitional jobs, case management, and cognitive behavioral therapy.  

States are stepping in to support CVI and CVP programs. In 2025, the Texas legislature appropriated $2 million for community violence intervention programs in the state budget. Budget bills passed in several other states, such as Colorado, Florida, Maine, and Nebraska, include funding for community violence intervention and prevention programs.⁵ 

Scale community response programs to ease pressure on law enforcement.

Why: Law enforcement agencies handle hundreds of thousands of calls for service each year, including mental health crises, substance use issues, welfare checks, and other calls that do not require an armed officer. These calls further strain officers’ time and capacity when they’re already short-staffed. Community response programs can reduce unnecessary law enforcement involvement, improve outcomes for individuals and communities, and free officers to focus on serious crimes that demand full investigative attention. Despite their potential, these approaches remain underutilized.

How:

• Expand community response programs to deploy trained professionals such as clinicians, social workers, and peer support specialists to respond to behavioral health and quality-of-life calls for service.
• Better coordinate behavioral health and public safety resources to ensure access to appropriate care and interventions while allowing police officers to focus on serious crimes that require their expertise.

Go Deeper: Community responder programs are increasing across the country as an effective mechanism for providing timely support, reducing the burden on police and hospitals, and improving health and safety outcomes. Explore examples and strategies for how state leaders can support these programs, strengthen the workforce, and integrate responders into local dispatch systems.

Support victims and people who witness crime.

Why: Trauma can create cycles that influence how people respond to violence and, if unaddressed, can contribute to further offending and victimization. Connecting victims and witnesses to timely, trauma-informed support and resources is critical for interrupting these cycles and preventing future violence. When individuals feel supported and safe, they’re also more likely to participate in investigations and share crucial information, helping law enforcement solve more violent crimes and strengthening overall community safety.

How:

• Ensure adequate resources are available to meet the immediate needs of victims through emergency financial assistance programs.
• Invest in victim compensation programs to reduce processing times, expand eligibility, and remove administrative barriers.
• Increase the number of victim-witness coordinators to support participation throughout the investigative and court process.

Go Deeper:

• New Mexico provides funding to help victims of violent crime in emergency situations where health or safety are at risk and other resources are unavailable.
• Missouri simplified reimbursement for eligible expenses and allowed victims receiving medical forensic exams to qualify without additional law enforcement involvement.
• Iowa, Massachusetts, and Washington fund community-based organizations by and for historically marginalized populations to serve people not currently accessing emergency services.

Since 2001, 15 states have established trauma recovery centers focused on addressing the needs of crime survivors. People who receive services from a trauma recovery center are more likely to cooperate with prosecutors to solve crimes, see improvements in their mental health and quality of life, and receive comprehensive services in a cost-effective way.⁶

Use data to identify problems, target solutions, and track progress.

Why: You can’t fix what you don’t measure. Data is essential for helping policymakers and practitioners understand the scope, nature, and trends of violence in their communities. Data can reveal where crime is concentrated, who is most affected, and how cases are being investigated and resolved. Analyzing data allows agencies to use resources more effectively. It also helps identify gaps in responses, such as low solve rates or limited victim services, and track whether reforms or investments are making an impact. Without reliable data, decision-makers are left guessing, which can lead to misdirected efforts and missed opportunities to improve public safety and build trust with communities.

How: Collect, analyze, and report data as aggressively as the issues demand.

Go Deeper: Get your state’s Justice Data Snapshot to help identify and understand key trends across decision-making points in your system. These snapshots include data from over 75 sources on crime, arrests, corrections populations, reentry, recidivism, and more. Contact Madeleine Dardeau at [email protected] for your own tailored Justice Data briefing.