Violence Interruptors Hobbled by Burnout, Lack of Resources

While several cities have set their sights on violence interruption to solve the problems of gun violence and over-policing in communities of color, those who work with such organizations say there is still a lack infrastructure for workers to succeed — including inconsistent or disparate funding and high rates of burnout.

Violence Interruptors Hobbled by Burnout, Lack of Resources

While several cities have set their sights on violence interruption to solve the problems of gun violence and over-policing in communities of color, those who work with such organizations say there is still a lack of the infrastructure workers need to succeed, reports NBC News.  As a result of inconsistent or disparate funding and high rates of burnouts, many leave the profession after about five years.

While many groups are getting huge government investments, disbursement of the funds hasn’t been uniform, and smaller, more grassroots groups have been left to their own devices. On top of consistent salaries, violence interruption organizations need structured and intentional funding for mental health resources and workplace training with health and retirement benefits. Meanwhile, some research has said that the “approach is difficult to evaluate” and that it has “promising but mixed” outcomes in different cities with respect to gun violence.