HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 11051996 - D3 T,
TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS F&HS-04 sE L Contra
FROM: FAMILY AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE 's Costa
r.;
` oa County
DATE: October 28, 1996 �y
REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE VIOLENCE PREVENTION
SUBJECT: ACTION PLAN AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE REPORT ON FIREARM
INJURIES
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. REFER to the Finance Committee the issue of providing sufficient funding to
the Health Services Department to permit the implementation of the
Countywide Violence Prevention Action Plan, including the issuance of mini-
grants to community organizations to implement elements of the Plan.
2. REFER the reports from the Health Services Department to the Policy Forum
and the County Administrator to encourage further collaboration among all
departments which are involved in the prevention of community violence.
3. ENDORSE all of the recommendations contained in the attached report.
4. REMOVE this item as a referral to our Committee.
BACKGROUND:
On May 21, 1996, the Board of Supervisors approved a report from our Committee
on this subject which included the following recommendations:
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMM E
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURES
ACTION OF BOARD ON November 5, 1996 AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
X UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ------------- ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
ATTESTED November 5, 1996
Contact: PHIL TCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
cc: See Page 3 PERS AND COUNTY A ISTRA R
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F&HS-04
Recommendations regarding the Violence Prevention Action Plan:
1. DIRECT the Health Services Director to identify ways in which the Board of
Supervisors could create a Coordinator position for the Violence Prevention
Action Plan and fund it,without having to take the funds from another program,
including the possibility of sharing the cost among the County, cities and
school districts.
2. DIRECT the Health Services Director to identify ways in which the Board of
Supervisors could establish a program of mini-grants and matching grants in
the area of prevention and fund it, without having to take the funds from
another program.
3. DIRECT the County Administrator to agenda a report from the Health Services
Director on the above recommendations at a time when our Committee can
dedicate sufficient time to the subject to have an in-depth discussion of the
need to adequately fund our prevention programs.
Recommendations regarding the Firearm Injury Reporting. Surveillance & Tracking
Report (FIRST
1. DIRECT the Health Services Director to present the report on Firearm Injuries
to the Police Chiefs' Association and seek their comments on the extent to
which the information seems to be valid, useful and what recommendations
they would have for further follow-up.
2. DIRECT the Health Services Director to present the report on Firearm Injuries
to the School District Superintendents and County Superintendent of Schools
and seek their comments on the extent to which the information seems to be
valid,useful and what recommendations they would have for further follow-up.
3. Recognizing that both pro and anti-gun advocates have firmly held views on
this subject, indicate the interest of this Committee in identifying effective
strategies and programs which will reduce the incidence of firearms injuries
and DIRECT the County Administrator to seek input from all interested parties
on what actions by the Board of Supervisors would be most likely to be
effective in reducing the incidence of firearm injuries,and, in particular,with
reducing the incidence of suicides and unintentional injuries by firearms.
4. DIRECT the Health Services Director to prepare a two or three page paper
which describes a timeline over the next 3 to 5 years which discusses whether
funding will be available to continue this type of research, whether we can
expect to expand the research to do linkage to public safety data bases and
whether we can gain an ability to track weapons.
5. DIRECT the County Administrator to schedule a further discussion of this
subject with our Committee at which reports on all of the above
recommendations can be presented and considered.
On October 28, 1996, our Committee met with the Public Health Director, Wendel
Brunner, M.D.; the Director of the Prevention Program, Susan Leahy and Cassandra
Youngblood from the Prevention Staff; representatives from Crisis & Suicide
Intervention, Battered Women's Alternatives, Healing Our Nation from Violence,
Legal Community Against Violence, Kaiser Permanente and the 1996-97 Grand
Jury. Dr. Brunner and Ms. Leahy reviewed the attached reports and noted that it is
not possible to go much further with the implementation of the Action Plan until a full
time Coordinator can be appointed. Most grants which are now available are limited
to domestic violence. There is very little money available for community violence
prevention activities. A portion of the Coordinator position could be funded with
existing Matemal and Child Health funds, but the balance would have to come from
the County General Fund. Ms. Leahy estimated that she would need between
$250,000 and $350,000.
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F&HS-04
Ms. Leahy noted that staff has met with the Police Chiefs' Association and they were
very helpful in providing input about priority areas in which attention should be given.
Staff will be meeting with a group of educators on November 4, 1996 to make a
similar presentation and seek their input and support.
John Batson from Crisis & Suicide Intervention commented in support of the report
and the additional problems which are created by the use of guns to commit suicide.
Juliet Leftwich of the Legal Community Against Violence noted that her organization
has available copies of gun control ordinances which are in use in other jurisdictions
and which have been tested by a variety of court challenges.
Ellen Schwartz of Healing Our Nation from Violence, Richard Thomson of Kaiser and
Valerie Rusted of BWA also provided supportive comments on the importance of
funding the Action Plan.
Supervisor Smith noted that the Saturday Night Special ban was pending with the
Board of Supervisors currently and asked how much money would be required to
make a reasonable start at implementing the Action Plan. This was when Ms. Leahy
provided the estimate of $250,000 to $350,000.
Dr. Brunner noted that staff are working with a variety of community organizations
to raise funds for the mini-grants.
Our Committee believes that staff has done an outstanding job given the lack of
funding which is available. We are supportive of the efforts which have been made
and recognize that little else can be accomplished without adequate funding. We
are, therefore, recommending that this report be referred to the Finance Committee
to attempt to find some means of providing sufficient funds to bring a full time
Coordinator on board and provide funding for a program of mini-grants.
Because community violence prevention is not a problem which is the province of
a single program or department, we are asking that the report also be referred to the
Policy Forum and the County Administrator in an effort to insure better collaboration,
cooperation and information sharing between departments.
Our Committee has reviewed the recommendations contained in the report and
believe that all of them are appropriate and should be supported by the Board of
Supervisors.
cc: County Administrator
Finance Committee (Via Tony Enea)
Health Services Director
Public Health Director
Susan Leahy, Director, Prevention Program, HSD
Policy Forum (Via Sara Hoffman)
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Public Health Division
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Martinez,California 94553
(510)313-6712
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TO: Family &Human Services Committee
Supervisor Jeff Smith, District 2
Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier, District 4
FROM: Wendel Brunner, M.D.
Director of Public Health
DATE: October 23, 1996
SUBJECT: REPORT ON THE STATUS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
VIOLENCE PREVENTION PLAN AND FOLLOW UP REPORT ON
FIREARM INJURIES
The Health Services Department was directed on May 13 and May 22, 1996 to report to the Family
&Human Services Committee on the status of the Violence Prevention Action Plan and the report
from the Health Services Department on firearm injuries in Contra Costa. The enclosed extensive
report developed by staff from the Community Wellness&Prevention Program provides a response
to these requests.
Countywide Action Plan
Part A of the report deals with the countywide Action Plan for violence prevention. The report
includes a summary of recent community violence prevention activities, and then addresses the
request to identify ways in which the Board of Supervisors can create a position to coordinate the
Violence Prevention Action Plan and establish a program of mini-grants and matching grants.
The Health Services Department has looked intensively for outside sources of funding to advance
these programs. We have had some success in working with the private community to develop
resources for community mini-grants. Kaiser Permanente has committed to raising mini-grant funds
for the 1997 Increase the Peace Month, and we are working with other Bay Area hospitals around
the community benefit requirements of SB 697 to encourage their support for violence prevention.
Most of the existing county violence prevention staff are funded by the State Health Department
specifically for domestic violence issues, and we currently have few resources to devote to
community violence prevention. Increased activity in this area from the Health Department requires
the establishment of an Action Plan Coordinator. We are currently negotiating with the State
Maternal and Child Health Branch to modify our State MCH budget to allow partial funding for such
a position, but additional resources will be necessary. The Board of Supervisors has expressed its
commitment to violence prevention, but we are aware that the pressure of competing priorities is
intense.
Family & Human Services Committee
Supervisors DeSaulnier/Smith
October 23, 1996
Page 2
Firearm Injury Prevention
Part B of the report describes firearm injury prevention activities. We are asked to report on possible
additional studies linking public safety databases as a follow-up to our FIRST Report released last
Spring. We are consulting with the Contra Costa Police Chiefs Association, whose collaboration
was essential for implementing the FIRST Report. We are currently working on a second report,
Gender Differences in Homicide in Contra Costa County,which we expect to be completed over the
next several months. The attached report identifies a number of other areas for further data
development.
Evaluation of Violence Prevention Efforts
The Board of Supervisors asked us to make efforts to identify effective strategies to reduce the
incidence of firearm injuries, and in particular look at methods for evaluating programs'
effectiveness. The need to evaluate programs aimed at reducing violence is particularly important,
because this is an area where the problems are many and strategies proven to be effective are few.
Appendix I summarizes research conducted by staff over the last few months into violence
prevention programs throughout the country. In particular, we were interested in the evaluation
components of those programs to see whether actual effectiveness could be demonstrated.
Evaluating the effectiveness of community programs is very difficult,but is of increasing importance
in a time of great needs and limited resources. We have used some of our State Maternal and Child
Health funding as well as other grant sources to bring Dr. Chuck McKetney into the Health Services
Department, especially to assist in planning and evaluation of family and community programs. Dr.
McKetney comes to us from the School of Public Health Center for Family and Community Health,
and has both a Ph.D. in Epidemiology and a Master's in Health Education. Chuck will enhance the
capability of the Health Services Department to plan and evaluate community health programs in
a variety of areas.
Recommendations:
Section III of the report identifies a number of areas and recommendations for violence prevention
activities. Those recommendations include community and provider education,media advocacy and
public information, collaboration and coalition building, and finally policy and legislative activities.
Preventing community and domestic violence is a major public health issue, and also a major
challenge to our communities. The causes of community and domestic violence are multiple;
preventing violence will require a combination of many different strategies and approaches.
Particularly with a problem as complex and difficult to confront as violence, we must develop new,
effective,and quantitative ways to evaluate our programs, so we can concentrate efforts on strategies
whose effectiveness can be proven.
WB:ah
Attachment
cc: William Walker, M.D., Health Services Director
Report Part A - County Wide Action Plan For Violence Prevention
From The Health Services Department To The Family And Human Services Committee
October 28, 1996
Summary Of Violence Prevention Project Activities Since Last Report:
Community Violence Prevention: Project activities since the last Family and Human
Services Committee include:
• Continued facilitate the process of Increase the Peace becoming an institutionalized
county venue for violence prevention. Previously identified community regional
partners have committed their time and resources to make a successful county
partnership. Current project goals include producing a public information campaign to
increase community awareness and hosting a skill building conference for community
advocates. The ITP steering committee has expanded to include both last year's
regional coordinators, Juvenile Justice commissioners, along with community leaders,
and Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser has demonstrated its vested interest in the success of
ITP through donations to regional committees and has committed to raising funds for
ITP and providing match dollars.
• Staff represented the Health Services Department in support of the East Bay Public
Safety Corridor effort to pass firearm injury prevention polices in the corridor cities.
The Community Violence Prevention Coordinator testified at Contra Costa city
hearings and submitted copies of the FIRST report for the public record.
• Formal release of the FIRST (Firearm Injury Reporting Surveillance and Tracking)
report accompanied by community presentations. Recommendations for further study
and implementation of violence prevention programs are discussed in the Firearm
Injury Prevention section of this report. Staff are also monitoring gun show activity via
our connection with Cease-fire Contra Costa, which has identified the potential gun
show ban as its prime area of concern.
• Completed the Tools for Violence Prevention notebook. This notebook will be useful
as a reference guide for community agencies that are creating or enhancing existing
violence prevention programs. The Violence Prevention Project will also use sections
of the notebook as a companion piece to the Action Plan for Violence Prevention,
giving concrete examples of how to implement some of the Plans 25
recommendations.
• Worked to maintain relations with the PACT coalition, the East County Violence
Prevention Task Force, convened by Delta 2000, and Cease-fire, the firearm injury
prevention and policy coalition made up of residents from different regions of the
county. The Community Violence Prevention Coordinator also provided assistance and
leadership in youth programs related to violence prevention, including the Teen
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Initiatives Project and Youth Vote '96, a project of the Contra Costa County Youth
Commission.
Domestic Violence Prevention Project Activities:
This project is funded by the California Department of Health Services. Project staff
funded by this grant include a full time coordinator and .60 of the violence prevention
manager. Project activities since the last Family and Human Services Committee
include:
• Facilitated the implementation of a new coalition in Contra Costa County as part of the
March of Dimes of the Greater Bay Area's Prevention of Battering During Teen
Pregnancy Project.
• Actively represented the Health Services Department on the county's Advisory Council
Against Domestic Violence by participating on the ACAD Executive Committee,
chairing the Data Committee, and participating on the Community Education,
Resources, and Prevention Committee.
• Co-sponsored, together with Battered Women's Alternatives and the county Sheriff, a
rally to kick-off October as "Domestic Violence Awareness Month" (also drafted a
resolution adopted by the Board of Supervisors on October 1 recognizing October as
"Domestic Violence Awareness Month").
• Developed a Domestic Violence Training Plan for the Health Services Department to
guide training on effective use by HSD staff of the county's Guidelines for Domestic
Violence Screening and Reporting. Conducted and analyzed a training needs
assessment of HSD staff to inform this training.
• Completed within the California Department of Health Services Primary Care &
Family Health Division's 1996-98 Injury Prevention Plan's, domestic violence
objectives for CDHS statewide clinical and health education programs.
• Completed the Domestic Violence Brief Intervention Model for Use in the Perinatal
Setting, developed by the Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program's Domestic
Violence Task Force.
• Completed the Tools for Ending Teen Relationship Violence, developed through the
collaborative efforts of participants in the Adolescent Family Life Program's Violence
and Substance Abuse Prevention Project.
• Coordinated and participated on a panel at the California Department of Social
Services' "Fathers, Families, and Communities", conference looking at opportunities
for collaboration on relationship violence prevention and intervention among youth
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programs serving males and females.
• Coordinated a presentation on domestic violence intervention in the context of
substance abuse treatment/counseling service provision at the first national Harm
Reduction Conference, Oakland, CA.
II. Funding For The County Wide Action Plan For Violence Prevention:
Action Item 1: "...HSD to identify ways in which the Board of Supervisors can create a
position to coordinate the Violence Prevention Action Plan..." and;
Action Item 2: "...HSD to identify ways in which the Board of Supervisors can establish
a program of mini-grants and matching grants...".
Current Funding Efforts (Since May, 1996):
Partnering With Area Hospitals:
The Violence Prevention Manager has been meeting with hospitals throughout the County to
identify if any of the SB 697 community benefit funds can be utilized to fund implementation
of the Action Plan. This bill requires that community hospitals develop needs assessments and
provide support for community health improvement efforts by sponsoring activities and
directing funding back to communities. In Contra Costa, all the area hospitals identified
violence prevention as a priority. Initial contacts were made to orient the hospitals to past and
current violence prevention efforts and the Action Plan, along with funding objectives. The
hospitals have indicated that their primary commitment is to directly fund community based
organizations rather than the County/Action Plan. Many hospitals did express interest in the
Health Department's domestic violence efforts.
One area that the hospitals are particularly interested in is assisting the County Health
Services Department to leverage funds for the proposed mini-grant program. Kaiser
Permanente has committed to raising mini-grant funds for the 1997 Increase The Peace
Month.
Proposal Development:
One proposal and one letter of intent were developed and sent to funding agencies. Both a full
proposal which was sent to the City of Concord for working with Jim Hernandez on a
violence prevention and firearm injury prevention curriculum and a letter of intent to the
Wellness Foundation Violence Prevention Initiative for firearm injury prevention policy
activities were not funded.
The Department is reviewing the call for applications to the California Endowment. One
project being considered includes the Action Plan in the proposal. Currently, staff are
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reviewing the guidelines to determine which program within the Department is the best fit for
this application.
A local community endowment, the Knight-Ridder Foundation, has announced its intention to
fund a Youth Violence Prevention Initiative. Proposals will be reviewed on an invitation only
basis. The county will need to bring the Action Plan to the attention of Foundation staff in
order to be considered under the initiative.
The Public Health Division has secured the services of a resource development firm to
develop a long range funding plan for all the public health-based prevention programs. One
top priority in this process is to explore new sources of violence prevention funding. The firm
will commence work in the winter of 1996-1997, at which time foundations who may be
interested in funding concepts such as the plan.
Establishing An Action Plan Coordinator Position And Determine A Funding
Mechanism For The Plan:
The Health Services Department is still very interested in moving forward with hiring a staff
person in the VPP to oversee the implementation of the Action Plan. To that end, the
Department is exploring whether part of the funding for the position could be allocated by the
Family, Maternal and Child Health Budget. The Department feels-it could support a half time
position but would need to locate additional funds for a full time position.
Determining A Funding Mechanism For The Action Plan:
On August 9, 1996 The Board Of Supervisors unanimously approved, that one-half to one
percent of the County's general fund revenues should fund violence prevention programs. The
matter was then referred Finance Committee.
With some additional fudning, the Public Health Division would have increased ability to
leverage and match a county commitment with foundation and other sources of funding. The
Health Services Department can contribute a small proportion of the funds for the Action Plan
Coordinator, making up the balance with the general fund. The Action Plan position, in turn,
could work to develop partnerships with foundations, corporations, and cities to match the
initial County contribution and immediately set off an initial mini-grant program to
community-based agencies to implement the recommendations found in the Plan.
With additional baseline support, staff could take the following steps:
• Match the Health Services Department's contribution to the Action Plan Coordinator
to hire a full-time coordinator.
• Develop new proposals that request that community foundations match the county
contribution.
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• Request that cities dedicate a modest amount to match the county funding.
• Develop a campaign to reach out to area corporations to fund the mini-grant
program.
Financial Mechanisms To Explore For The Action Plan:
In addition to acting on the Board Order to set aside a percentage of the general fund to
sustain baseline activities, fees and sales tax mechanisms, although politically challenging to
achieve, could also be explored. Examples include:
• Establish a sales tax or gross receipts tax on handguns and firearms.
• Establish a sales tax on ammunition.
Summary:
In essence, the Department currently finds itself in a difficult situation with regard to
implementing the Action Plan. While the commitment remains, most existing staff are
dedicated to the domestic violence prevention grant award and cannot dedicate the real time
needed to move this issue forward. Until the Department can bring on an Action Plan
Coordinator, even part time, it is unlikely that ongoing dedicated time will be available to
develop the necessary funding proposals, develop the partnerships required, or sustain the
sophisticated level of program development that will be required to implement the Plan.
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Part B - Firearm Injury Prevention
From The Health Services Department To The Family And Human Services Committee
October 28, 1996
The report that follows addressees the Action Items generated during the May 13, 1996
Family and Human Services Committee of the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors. The report
first introduces background and information on key areas for firearm injury research and then
presents Health Services Department recommendations on programs and strategies that may be
effective in reducing homicide, suicide, and unintentional injury and death from firearms.
Finally, the report presents recommendations, based on the findings in the FIRST report,
obtained from the School Superintendents, the Police Chief's Association, and the East
County Violence Prevention Task Force.
I. Action Item 4: "...describe a time line over the next three to five years which discusses
whether funding will be available to continue this type of(firearm) research, whether we
can expect to expand the research to do linkage to public safety data bases and whether
we can gain the ability to track weapons."
Background: The purpose of the Community Wellness & Prevention Program data
projects has been to provide the Contra Costa County Health Services Department and
its community partners with a better understanding of the size, scope, and effects of
violent injury in order to better plan injury prevention programs and policy.
Data are critical in assessing the extent of violent injuries and developing appropriate
programs and policies. With accurate data, public health practitioners can identify
communities most at risk for violence, implement prevention strategies, and evaluate
the impact and the outcomes of their work. Data can also provide individuals and
organizations involved in violence prevention with a better understanding of the risk
factors for violent injuries.
To date, the Community Wellness & Prevention Program has produced three data
reports highlighting the local problem of violent injury, including the role of firearms.
In 1992, the Program produced a baseline study entitled: The Status Report of
Childhood Injury, using California Department of Health Services, vital statistics data
and available hospital discharge data from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and
Development. This report found that firearms were the leading cause of injury death in
the county for children ages ten to 19. In October 1994, the Program released its
Profile of Violent Injury in Contra Costa. This study analyzed violent injury (including
domestic violence and suicide) as it affected all age groups and ethnicities. In addition
to the public health injury morbidity and mortality data used previously, this report
also included for the first time data from the California Justice Department and the
Contra Costa County Coroner's Office.
Contra Costa County's Firearm Injury Reporting, Surveillance and Tracking (FIRST)
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Project was one of the first firearm injury surveillance systems to be implemented in
the United States. Funded by a one and a half year grant from the State of California
Emergency Medical Services Authority and published by the Health Services
Department, the Profile of Firearm Injuries and Death in Contra Costa County: A
Report of the Firearm Injury Reporting, Surveillance and Tracking (FIRST) Project
describes the firearm injuries and deaths that occurred in the county between July 1,
1993 and June 30, 1994.
Program Evaluation:
The Community Wellness and Prevention Program also has a keen interest in evaluating the
effectiveness of HSD violence prevention efforts. Past evaluation efforts have included an
evaluation of the PACT project, which was the primary funded violence prevention project
coordinated by the Health Services Department. Staff are currently developing an evaluation
for the Domestic Violence Prevention Projects efforts to prevent domestic violence through
training and interventions with health care providers. Evaluation staff also provide technical
assistance to local community based organizations to help them better understand how to
evaluate programs and document the effectiveness of their efforts.
Current Violence Data Projects:
CW&PP's Health Data and Program Evaluation Unit plans to continue its support of the
HSD's violence prevention programs by providing descriptive, ongoing epidemiologic analysis
and technical assistance on evaluation design and implementation. Currently, CW&PP plans
include:
• To continue the use of injury morbidity and mortality data within program planning
and evaluation. Firearm injury deaths and hospitalized injuries will be monitored using
available data sets. Victim residence data will be used to examine and map
communities at greatest risk of firearm injury.
• To release in the Winter of 1996 the report: Gender Differences in Homicide in
Contra Costa County, a study utilizing 12 years worth of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting data. The report will include
recommendations for local domestic violence prevention programs and policies.
• To collaborate with the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office on implementation of
its COPS domestic violence prevention grant, especially on data collection and linkage
to other public safety databases, and on use of domestic violence data collected within
their county wide surveillance system. This project is set to come on line in the Winter
of 1996.
• To continue to seek opportunities to collaborate or integrate efforts with other HSD
data collection efforts, such as the Healthy Neighborhoods Project and the North
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Richmond Center for Health. Through the needs assessment and community surveys
conducted by these efforts, there may be opportunities to replicate, at a local level,
statewide Behavioral Risk Factor survey questions regarding gun ownership, gun
storage, weapon use for self defense, domestic violence screening, weapon carrying by
students on school grounds, or youth fighting.
• To participate in the work of the East Bay Corridor's Violence Prevention Project
which includes collaboration with Alameda and Contra Costa County law enforcement
agencies on firearm/weapon tracking projects.
Resource Development:
CW&PP's Health Data and Program Evaluation Unit has both the capacity and desire to
continue doing primary data collection projects, such as FIRST. Projects like these give
CW&PP the most control in designing research questions to meet specific program planning
and evaluation needs.
Understandably, implementing original research projects often requires much greater resources
than projects utilizing existing/secondary data sources. The Public Health Division looks for
resources to support data projects in an ongoing fashion. All resources for data funding have
come from outside sources, including the California Department of Health Services and the
Emergency Medical Services Authority. In new program proposals, attempts are made to build
in both baseline data collection and evaluation. However, granting agencies prefer to fund
program interventions rather than original research. Over the next three to five years, it would
be reasonable to expect the HSD to prepare and submit proposals to funding sources, such as
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who are interested in original research.
Original research projects often require full time staffing (in addition to existing data analysis
staff), as well as special computer equipment. Results are not immediate; there is often a
lagtime between study design/data collection and data analysis. CW&PP will continue to seek
resources from public and private funding sources interested in supporting local violence
research projects.
Firearm-Related Data And Research Projects Which Would Require Additional
Resources:
• To evaluate domestic violence protocols in place within Contra Costa hospitals and
public health clinics. Establish the reporting rate for domestic violence-related injuries
seen in Contra Costa hospitals, and determine barriers to reporting suspected or
confirmed injuries.
To replicate the FIRST Project at a cost of approximately $100,000 per year. Re-
establishing the reporting relationships and surveillance system for an additional year
would allow comparisons to be made over time. Changes in firearm injury and death
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rates could be determined, as well as any changes in the profile of circumstances,
perpetrators, and victims.
• To research how Contra Costa County youth obtain and/or illegally purchase guns,
their reasons/attitudes about possessing guns, etc. Depending on available resources,
this research could be done through focus groups, surveys, or interviews. Findings
would support policies/programs designed to limit illegal youth access to firearms.
• To design and implement an evaluation of the recently passed residential gun dealer
ordinance. This would require a collaboration with Community Development, cities,
and the ATF.
II. Action Item 3: "...identify effective strategies and programs which will reduce the
incidence of firearm injuries...and, in particular, will reduce the incidence of suicide and
unintentional injuries by firearms."
Based on three injury studies produced by the Health Services Department, the VPP presents
below its recommendations for the preventing firearm morbidity and mortality from a public
health perspective. The recommendations are organized along the levels of the Spectrum of
Prevention. These program and policy recommendations, should they be implemented, should
also have well-constructed evaluations and ongoing baseline data collection to assess their
overall effectiveness. The recommendations, along with the input provided during the October
28, 1996 hearing, will provide an excellent body of advisory input for pursuing program
efforts.
Health Services Department Recommendations For The Prevention Of Firearm
Morbidity And Mortality:
Background. Because firearms are involved in the highest proportion of intentional
injury and death in the county, most past and existing HSD and community based
violence prevention have focused in large part on firearms. This report focuses
specifically on recommendations for firearm injury prevention that could be
implemented in a Health Services Department based program in collaboration with
community based organizations, law enforcement and policy makers. For that reason,
staff have included only those recommendations specifically pertaining to firearm as
the mechanism of the injury. The reader should keep in mind, however, that the Health
Services Department strongly supports all of the recommendations made in the County
wide Action Plan For Violence Prevention and believes that, when funded and
implemented, the Action Plan will have a significant impact on reducing the number of
deaths and injuries caused by firearms.
In addition to the HSD's program history of the Health Services Department in this
area, (VPP) staff conducted research from June to August 1996 on national and local
firearm injury, suicide prevention and unintentional injury programs, undertook
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literature reviews, interviewed local violence prevention program staff, and drew on
the previous program experience of the Health Services Department to address the
above action item. In all, 50 programs were contacted (the full list of contacts is
attached for review). Staff requested information on the nature of the program and on
whether or not the program has been evaluated, the nature of the evaluation, and the
findings from any evaluation conducted (the review of evaluated programs is also
attached for review).
1. Prevention Of Homicide & Assault By Firearms:
Community And Provider Education Recommendations:
• Facilitate application of the Straight Talk About Risks (STAR) curriculum
within school and community based settings. Of all of the programs that VPP
staff reviewed, this curriculum developed by Hand Gun Control Inc., is the
most comprehensive. The curriculum is skill and behavior based, aiming to
increase awareness . Youth who are involved in the program are given hands-
on strategies to practice; designed to increase their ability to apply prevention-
related behaviors to potentially lethal situations. The curriculum is adaptable to
local conditions and need and is available in English and Spanish. The
curriculum can be implemented with youth ranging from kindergarten through
the 12th grade.
Evaluation of STAR: STAR conducted a formative evaluation in school
districts in California and New Jersey, using focus groups and teacher surveys.
The formative evaluation found that 83% of K-2 grade teachers, 92% of third
to fifth grade teachers, 95% of sixth to eighth grade teachers, and 100% of high
school teachers surveyed would use the program again. The STAR program has
an outcome oriented evaluation projected to begin in 1996 and extend for a
number of years. Curriculum research revealed that a majority of the violence
prevention programs do not undergo evaluation that would identify successful
components and tangible outcomes. The availability of an evaluation is an
additional reason for recommending the STAR curriculum.
Media Advocacy And Public Information Recommendations:
• Support implementation of community needs assessment in areas of the
county with high rates of firearm violence. Many programs utilize this tool,
including those within the Public Health Division. The Health Services
Department could then collaborate with such programs to link violence
prevention messages with those of existing programs. An example of this is
seen in a youth leadership group which conducted a needs assessment of a
neighborhood in Richmond. Developed by a community-based agency, program
participants noted which areas of their neighborhood were safe and which were
10
D -3
not. They then went about identifying existing resources to create safety within
the most crime-ridden areas.
• Promote messages of peace emphasizing the dangers of firearms through bus
placards, cable television, radio, and print media. Utilize work already produced
by numerous community agencies schools, and state and nationwide firearm
injury prevention organizations.
• Link with Youth Radio program in Alameda county to promote Contra Costa
County youth expressions of peace and support for firearm violence prevention.
• Expand the annual Increase the Peace campaign to provide year-round
messages about the need to prevent firearm injuries and death through
community newsletters and op-ed pieces.
Collaboration & Coalition Building Recommendations:
• Maintain existing collaborative relationships with the PACT Coalition; Cease-
fire Contra Costa , and the East County Violence Prevention Task Force.
Develop relationships with members of the Central County Increase the Peace
campaign planning body.
• Maintain relationship with the Safefutures project. Participate by finding
opportunities to integrate firearm injury prevention into program plans and
strategies.
• Pursue additional collaboration by establishing an advisory network with
representation from the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, county school
districts, the Safe Futures Project, the East Bay Public Safety Corridor and
community based organizations in order to implement the STAR curriculum in
school and community settings. Integration of the STAR curriculum should also
be informed by collaboration with the County Director of Alternative
Education, Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Education (DATE) Coordinators,
County Office of Education, law enforcement, cities, probation, juvenile justice,
community-based organizations, the Ceasfire Coalition, Healthy Start
Coordinators, and county wide youth leadership groups such as the Tobacco
Youth Task Group, Teen Initiative Project, East Bay Public Safety Corridor
Youth Leaders, and County Youth Commission.
Policy And Legislative Recommendations:
Background:
• Existing policy to restrict access to firearms by youth includes the title
11
D.3
residential gun dealer ordinance passed by the Board of Supervisors and the
Cities of Antioch, El Cerrito, Hercules, Lafayette, Pinole, Richmond, and San
Pablo.
• The East Bay Public Safety Corridor is working to pass to a ban on the sale
of Saturday Night Special handguns. The policy has been passed in the Cities
of El Cerrito, Richmond and San Pablo. Eight cities in Alameda County have
also passed the policy, as has San Francisco. An ordinance requiring that
trigger locks be sold with all guns has been passed in three Alameda county
cities; in two Contra Costa cities, and Contra Costa County (a summary of the
status of firearm related-policies in Contra Costa County is attached to this
report).
• The East Bay Public Safety Corridor is working to pass gross receipts sales
tax to all items sold in gun shops. San Francisco has already passed such an
ordinance; and the Cities of Berkeley, Oakland and San Leandro are now
considering the gross receipts sales tax ordinances.
• The Board of Supervisors has passed a resolution to request that the State
Fairgrounds Board restrict gun shows on the public fairgrounds in Antioch.
Recommendations:
• Continue to collaborate with and support the policy efforts of the East Bay
Public Safety Corridor to pass the Saturday Night Special weapons ban, the
gross sales receipt tax, and the trigger lock requirements.
• Work with the Board of Supervisors and Mayors to introduce the Saturday
Night Special Ban, the gross sales receipt tax, and the trigger lock requirements
in Central and East regions of the County.
• Continue to support the Board of Supervisors ban on the holding of gun
shows at the Antioch Fairgrounds. Continue to provide data on the status of the
problem of firearm injury at Fairgrounds Board hearings.
• Review the State initiatives and firearms legislation to be introduced by
Assemblyman Caldera at the beginning of the new legislative session. VPP staff
interviews with staff from Assemblyman Caldera's office indicate that two key
bills may be introduced during the next session, including efforts to limit
Saturday Night Specials and pursue legislation to allow "home rule" and lift
state preemption for firearm regulation. Based on this review, develop
recommendations for a Board of Supervisors position on the legislation.
Prevention Of Suicide By Firearms:
12
Background: Based on the finding in the FIRST report, the Health Services
Department is very interested in increasing capacity to prevent suicide and
suicide attempts among those at highest risk for suicide.
VPP staff research on existing programs indicate that the etiology of suicide is
very complex and very few studies exist discussing the effectiveness of
education and policy prevention regarding suicide. Staff review of the literature
in this revealed that, (1) because of the relationship of suicide and depression,
community linkages between suicide prevention programs and existing
community mental health are strongly encouraged; (2) while there is evidence
that restricting access to guns and drugs and reducing other risk factors for
suicide, e.g., alcohol can help prevent suicide, few programs use this approach
in their suicide prevention curricula.
VPP staff met with Brian Surgue, the Community Education Director from
Contra Cost Crisis and Suicide Intervention Services (CCCSIS), to present the
findings from FIRST to explore what activities are currently in place in the
community, and encourage increased collaboration between CCCSIS, the Public
Health Division, and other programs with an interest in suicide prevention.
CCCSIS has a long history of offering school-based suicide prevention
presentations to high school students. From 1984 to 1989, CCCSIS helped to
found two Health Services Department-based coalitions, the Alternatives to
Violence and Abuse Coalition and the Unemployment Resources Task Force.
The CCCSIS Executive Director and Community Education Coordinator have
both indicated their interest in attending the October 28 Committee to provide
input into the suicide prevention recommendations.
Community And Provider Education Recommendations:
• Explore the delivery of educational messages through physician counseling,
per the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations to parents regarding
the safe storage of guns and ammunition.
• Develop an HSD-CCCSIS partnership to implement training for health care,
youth service , and mental health providers on causes and risk factors for
suicide among various populations.
• Explore replication of the Monterey County Health Department's (MCHD)
suicide and unintentional injury prevention program. MCHD has developed a
gun storage education and trigger lock coupon program that is directed at
parents who have guns in their homes and health care providers. The program
educates health department staff on the dangers of suicide and unintentional
13
firearm-related injuries. MCHD also works with local gun dealers to offer 25%
off trigger lock coupons to health care providers, including WIC, and
distributes the coupons to parents via a local coalition.
• Adopt the STAR curriculum as discussed above with a component
emphasizing educational messages to ten to 14 year olds on how to behave and
respond when they find a firearm in the home, school, or other community
setting.
Media Advocacy And Public Information Recommendations:
• Expand Increase The Peace to include agencies that provide services to
adults, parents, and youth in the highest risk age groups for suicide. Assist
agencies in promoting suicide prevention messages to their constituencies.
Emphasize the lethality of guns in suicide attempts.
Collaboration & Coalition Building Recommendations:
• Seek funding for a HSD-community collaboration to prevent injuries to the
elderly, such as that described in a proposal recently denied CDC funding.
• Increased collaboration with Crisis and Suicide Intervention and Health
Services, with an emphasis on prevention programs in Public Health and
Mental Health.
• Identify and pursue collaborations with agencies that serve the older
population of the county to increase awareness that older white males are at
greatest risk in Contra Costa County for suicide attempts.
• Explore the establishment of crisis intervention teams to address the
contributing factors to suicide.
• Explore the establishment of collaborative programs to help youth cope with
crisis which might cause depression, such as peer counseling/mediation in
schools and drug and alcohol awareness/intervention, as per the CDC's
recommendation that no program be implemented in a vacuum, but in
conjunction with other support services.
Policy And Legislative Recommendation:
• Support the efforts of the East Bay Public Safety Corridor to pass trigger lock
requirements, which will limit access to firearms of children and youth who
may be suicidal.
14
Prevention Of Unintentional Firearm Injury:
Background: Based on the three studies conducted by the Health Services
Department, the most recent of which is being the FIRST report, unintentional
shootings make up only 8% of the total cases of firearm injury and death in
Contra Costa. The age group most at risk for unintentional shooting are ten to
14 year old males. There are limited policies and no local programs in place
that address youth access to firearms. Children are most likely to be injured in
their own home or in the home of an acquaintance where there is easy access
to a loaded firearm. Therefore, the key audience for education and public
information messages are both the youth and their parents or other family
members.
Community And Provider Education Recommendations:
• Explore the delivery of educational messages through physician counseling,
per the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations to parents regarding
the safe storage of guns and ammunition.
• As stated above, explore replication of the Monterey County Health
Department's (MCHD) suicide and unintentional injury prevention program.
• Adopt the STAR curriculum. As above, with a component to emphasizing
educational messages to ten to 14 year olds on how to behave and respond
when they find a firearm in the home, school, or other community setting.
Media Advocacy And Public Information Recommendations:
• Expand Increase The Peace to include agencies that provide service to adults,
parents, and youth in the highest risk age groups for unintentional firearm
injury. Assist agencies in promoting unintentional firearm injury messages to
their constituencies.
• Use media advocacy approaches to support policies directed at increasing the
safe storage of firearms and the sale and use of trigger locks.
• Use public information strategies to promote unintentional educational
messages to providers, parents and youth in the highest risk age groups for
unintentional firearm injury.
• Support efforts to reduce the current level of violent media and television
programming directed towards young children and promote increased media
and programming that includes conflict resolution scenarios.
15
D3
• Support the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations on informing
parents of the dangers of keeping guns in homes where young children live.
Identify and collaborate with Academy branches in Contra Costa county to
increase public awareness.
Collaboration And Coalition Building Recommendations:
• Increase collaboration between the Violence Prevention Project, the Childhood
Injury Prevention Coalition (CIPC), and Handgun Control Inc. to provide
advisory input into any unintentional firearm injury prevention programs that
are initiated.
• Involve CIPC and its 40 member agencies in the annual Increase The Peace
campaign.
• Distribute via CIPC information to providers and parents on the problem of
unintentional firearm injury, the groups most at risk and how the use of trigger
locks and safe storage can reduce the number of unintentional firearm injuries.
Policy & Legislative Recommendation:
• To prevent suicide and unintentional injury, explore the development of gun
storage polices recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics to
prevent access to firearms by youth and children and to prevent the theft of
firearms from private homes, including the use of strong boxes and separation
of the guns from ammunition.
Conclusion:
All of these recommendations can become vital input into local programming. The Health
Services Department has prioritized funding for the implementation of the Action Plan as the
first area for resources, followed by funding for firearm injury policy and education programs.
Since the establishment of the Violence Prevention Project, the Health Services Department
has primarily addressed the prevention of intentional assault and homicide by firearms because
over 90% of firearm deaths in Contra Costa County are homicides. However, the Department
is interested in increasing its capacity to address suicide and unintentional shootings and
developing new partnerships to address these injury areas.
The current barriers to implementation at this time remain the same as those addressed in the
May 7, 1996 report to the Family and Human Services Committee. The first barrier is related
to funding. The Violence Prevention Project from its founding was funded exclusively by
State and Federal sources. With the loss of those funds and lack of additional funding, the
VPP project has suffered significant set-backs in its ability to maintain existing program
efforts and initiated new ones based on our recent data. The second barrier, also related to
16
D. 3
funding, is that of having in adequate staff to maintain collaborative coalitions and networks
of violence prevention practitioners in the community. As was stated in the May 7 report, the
HSD is working to maintain some minimal staffing and is working on a resource development
plan for violence prevention.
1
III. Action Item 1 and 2: "...Health Services Director to present the report on Firearm
Injuries (FIRST) to the Police Chiefs' Association and seek their comments on the extent
to which the information seems to be valid, useful and what recommendations they
would have for further follow up....Present the FIRST report to the School District
Superintendents and County Superintendent of Schools and seek their comments...".
Staff contacted the Police Chiefs' Association and the County Superintendent of schools in
June to set dates to present the FIRST report. Both groups were interested in receiving the
presentation.
Contact was made with the Superintendent of Schools shortly after the May Family and
Human Services Committee. The Superintendent requested that the presentation be deferred
until the new Superintendent, Dr. Ovick, came on board in September. Dr. Ovick, felt that the
Superintendents were not the only audience for input into the FIRST report and requested that
VPP staff also present to educators who work more directly with the student population. Thus,
he referred the matter to the Director of Alternative Education, Bianca Bloom. The VPP has
continued to work with Ms. Bloom to schedule a presentation. Unfortunately, this presentation
could not be scheduled until November 4, 1996. The recommendations generated from this
presentation will be forwarded to the Family and Human Services Committee (see attached).
Because VPP staff did not have the opportunity to obtain recommendations from the school,
the FIRST report was presented to the East County Community Action Coalition, a body
made up of non-profits and community members who meet to address community needs in
East Contra Costa. They had a strong interest in the findings and indicated that the data was
relevant and useful to their work.
A. Recommendations For Firearm Injury Prevention Made By The Police Chief's
Association:
The FIRST Report was well received by the Chief's Association and they felt that the
findings were a reflection of the problem as they are seeing it in their work. Namely, that the
priority area to be addressed is interpersonal assaults and homicides in West Contra Costa.
They did not provide specific program recommendations in the area of education or policy,
but did provided excellent input into how firearm injury and violence prevention programs
should be structured to be more effective. They also provided feedback to staff on how the
information contained in this report as well as areas of future study indicated below would aid
their work.
17
D,3
Recommendations For Establishing Firearm Injury Prevention Programs:
-Focus current program resources to where there is the greatest problem, specifically,
in West Contra Costa to address firearm homicide and assaults.
-They felt many of the current efforts and programs are fragmented and competing for
funding. They recommended that resources should be consolidated and focused to
address the issues.
-Rather than continuing to do "band-aid" type programs, they would like to see county
government address the root causes of violence, namely, poverty and unemployment.
-Define what success is in violence prevention efforts.
-Work to make programs more results oriented and increase program evaluation.
Support those programs and policies that are determined to be effective.
-Develop a multi-agency - government partnership to address this issue.
Recommendations For Further Study & Ways To Improve The Existing Data:
-The FIRST Report provides a good starting point for prevention and they would like
to see increased study of West County shootings and circumstances.
-Study the contributing factors of violence such as unemployment, poverty and alcohol
and other drug use.
-Direct future reports to address the issue of domestic and partner abuse.
•Increased attention and study to the purpose and or greater detail behind the
circumstance of a shooting. This would provided the crime prevention staff with
better data.
-One area included in the report involved "circumstance" of the injury or homicide.
The Chief's association would like more information regarding this finding. Staff
utilized police reports to gather the data reflected in this table. Because the cases were
frequently not resolved at the time the data was collected there was concern that it was
not a true reflection of circumstances in which a firearm was used. Staff will look at
the raw data again and work to provide additional tables that would be of greater use
to Police.
18
. e
�. 3
B. Recommendations For Firearm Injury Prevention Made By The East County
Community Action Coalition:
Community Education Strategies:
• Provide police with sensitivity training, to increase their knowledge of domestic
violence and substance abuse and assist them in dealing with these situations in
community settings.
• Provide comprehensive violence prevention programs for youth with the following
elements:
• Peer education.
• Education in schools, juvenile hall, shelters, and Independent Living Centers.
• Parent and Parent/Teachers Association (PTA) involvement.
• Start'youth education early (ideally 6th grade).
• Revise overall school curriculum to include violence prevention as a required
life skills course for graduation.
• Utilize community colleges as a possible pool of peer educators.
• Generate violence prevention proposals in collaboration with the Health Services
Department to include the following concepts:
• Sufficient planning and significant implementation period.
• Collaboration with cities, counties, government entities, and community
leaders to initiate substantive environmental changes. Create widespread support
systems for those re-entering the community after violent episodes, i.e., gang
disengagement, crime, drug use.
Policy And Legislation:
• Implement and support increased regulation of gun sales and circulation.
19
i
APPENDIX 1
Evaluation of National Violence Prevention Programs
A search was conducted by utilizing the following major resource centers for violence prevention
programs. Other programs discussed in this report were identified through Handgun Control
Incorporated and the National Rifle Association.
1. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Center for Disease Control.
Eleven violence prevention projects evaluated with the help of CDC funding. To date, only
received information on the following:
a. RCCP (Resolving Conflict Creatively)
Tom Roderick, (212) 870-3318
b. PeaceBuilders
Henry Atha, (602) 740-5205
c. SMART
Kris-Bosworth, PhD, (812) 856-8133
d. Yes I.Can
L. Rowell Huesmann, PhD, (313) 764-8385
e. Attributional Retraining on Aggression Reduction
Cynthia Hudley, PhD, (805) 893-8324
2. Identified large violence prevention programs with focus on firearms:
a. STAR
(310) 475-6714 (in CA), (202) 289-7319 (in D.C.)
b. Eddie Eagle
(800) 231-0752. No evaluation.
c. Second Step
(800) 634-4494
3. Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development. Publication: The State of the Art of Program
Evaluation. (202) 429-7979.
4. Prevention Violence: A Framework for Schools and Communities
A number of programs discussed in this directory were contacted to determine if there were any
program evaluations.
5. National Directory of Youth Violence Prevention Resources
Contacted a number of programs and institutes to determine if they had conducted any evaluation
on the effectiveness of various programs/approaches.
Following is a summary of the results of the program search. The programs were divided into
six program areas including: handgun violence prevention, general violence prevention, school
and family/community, conflict resolution/peer mediation, "high-risk" adolescent, evaluation
guidelines.
1. Handgun Violence Prevention Projects:
a. STAR (Straight Talk About Risks) Curriculum
Developed by the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence
Program: A grade specific, pre-K through 12th grade curriculum aimed at reducing firearm
related violence.
New Jersey Evaluation: Primarily formative in nature and based on focus groups and teacher
responses to a survey.
Results: Many schools linked STAR to other prevention programs, including self-esteem
development, values education, conflict mediation, drug abuse prevention, crime prevention.
Many schools fit STAR into subject areas, including English, Language Arts, and U.S. History.
General positive feeling that students learned how to deal better with threatening firearm related
situations, and conflict management.
L.A. Evaluation: Again, primarily formative in nature, conducted looking at LA schools (3-12
grade) and NYC schools (pre-K through 2nd grade).
Results: Found that 83% of preK-2 grade teachers, 92% of 3-5 grade teachers, 95% of 6-8 grade
teachers, and 100% of 9-12 grade teachers would use the program again.
The STAR program has an outcome oriented evaluation projected to begin in this year (1996)
and to extend for a number of years.
b. Eddie Eagle Gun Safety
Developed by the National Rifle Association (NRA)
(800) 231-0752
Program: PreK-6 grade curriculum based on gun safety.
Evaluation: None has been conducted.
2. General Violence Prevention curricula/school programs
a. Second Step: A Violence Prevention Curriculum
Developed by the Committee for Children, Seattle WA
Found in Carnegie Report "Violence Prevention for Early Teens: The State of the Art..."
Leihua Sylvester, and Karin Frey
(800) 634-4449
�-3
Program: Consists of a 32 lesson curriculum for classrooms and other group settings based on
empathy, impulse control, problem solving, and anger management. The program is used
throughout the country, with Los Angeles currently sponsoring an evaluation.
Evaluation: The Seattle pilot test included pre/post test interviews resulting in a significant
improvement from pre to post interviews compared to the control group. The purpose of this pilot
test was primarily formative and to be used to make changes in the curriculum. The major
weaknesses of the evaluation included non-equivalent control groups, and no measure of actual
student behavior.
Results: Differences between pre/post interview score were statistically significant in areas of
predicting consequences, anger management, and brainstorming solutions.
b. SMART Talk
Developed by Center for Adolescent Studies
Learning Multisystems, Inc.
(800) 362-7323
Program: This is a computer program for adolescents which includes sections on Anger
Management, Dispute Resolution, and Social Skills. Uses a panel of celebrities and teen
mediators to provide personal stories and serve as role models. The program can be used by
oneself or with a partner to help resolve a conflict or work on a relationship.
Evaluation: A pre/post test was given to students who used the system. It measured knowledge,
intentions, and included a self-report on caring behaviors, self-esteem, impulsiveness, non-violent
role models, and peer influence. No changes in actual behavior were measured.
Results: A significant increase in knowledge, self-reported frequency of pro-social behavior, and
intentions to use non-violent strategies were found between the pre and post tests. There was also
a significant decrease in self-reported getting into trouble. There was no significant difference
in confidence in handling conflict situations with non-violence. Students responses about the
program were positive.
e. Gang Prevention and Intervention Program
Garden Grove, CA.
Found in Carnegie Report "Violence Prevention for Early Teens: The State of the Art..."
Program: Consists of an eight week curriculum for second to sixth graders, as well as one for
13-17 year old incarcerated violent offenders and high-risk children who exhibit characteristics
of belonging to a gang.
Evaluation: There was no systematic evaluation. Anecdotal evidence indicated a decrease in
fighting among kids exposed to the curriculum.
D .3
d. Project Stress Control School-Based Curriculum
Atlanta, GA
Found in Carnegie Report "Violence Prevention for Early Teens: The State of the Art..."
Program: Groups of fourth and fifth graders participate in stress reduction classes, cultural field
trips, camping trips, and an eight week after school program focusing on study skills
improvement. In addition, an anger-relaxation center was established for students to vent their
anger and relax, a new discipline program was established, and parents were contacted by the
school more often.
Evaluation: An evaluation was done at two different schools that had implemented the program.
The evaluation was based on both pre/post tests to measure changes in stress awareness and
knowledge as well as an assessment of changes in school environment and behaviors. The two
major weaknesses of the evaluation include the inability to separate the effect of the different
components of the program and a sporadic use of control groups.
Results: Evaluators at one school found a 50% drop in referrals to the principal's office, a 40%
drop in suspensions, and small gains in reading and math scores. At the other school they found
a 47% decrease in office referrals from those in participating classes.
3. School and Family/Community programs
a. PeaceBuilders
Heartsprings
P.O. Box 12158
Tucson, AZ 85732
(520) 322-9977
Program: PeaceBuilders includes a K-5 comprehensive alternative to violence program (with a
workbook for students and their families, and an action guide for teachers), parent education
events and tools, and community outreach (including mass media components, fund-raising).
Evaluation: They are currently undertaking a 10 year study in cooperation with the University
of Arizona and the Case Western Reserve University and with initial funding from the CDC.
They study will follow 5,000 children to measure long-term impacts of PeaceBuilders on juvenile
arrest rates and other measurable outcomes. Data is also being collected on social skills and
aggression in schools.
Results: Visits to school nurses are down 12%from baseline for PeaceBuilders schools,compared
to control schools which are up about 2%. Visits due to fighting are down 8% among
PeaceBuilders schools, while for control schools they are up 55%. Case studies from specific
schools report that school suspensions are down 65% in one school, and referrals to principals
are down 50% at all case study schools. Playground fights and classroom disruptions also appear
to be down at a number of schools.
03
b. Yes I Can
The Metropolitan Area Child Study
Evaluation done by L. Rowell Huesmann
Research Center for Group Dynamics, Institute for Social Research
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106-1248.
Program: Level A intervention consists of 20 general classroom lessons (social-cognitive
enhancement curriculum called "Yes I Can") with trained teachers; Level B consists of Level A
plus small group social cognitive training with high risk peers; Level C consists of Level B plus
family intervention.
Evaluation: In the process. Supported in part by CDC grants. Schools assigned to one of the
three levels or as a control. Will evaluate both overall impact, and impact on high risk vs. low
risk children.
c. The Paramount Plan: Alternatives to Gang Membership
Paramount, CA.
Found in Carnegie Report "Violence Prevention for Early Teens: The State of the Art..."
Program: This program consists of a fifteen weekly presentations to all fifth graders in the school
district on topics including graffiti, the impact of gang membership on families, drugs and gangs,
and alternatives. It is followed by eight biweekly sessions in seventh grade. The program includes
parent and community interventions with basic parent-community awareness meetings for parents
and other community members, and family counselors who work with high-risk teens and their
parents.
Evaluation/Results: There have been a number of separate studies. The first one was a simple
pre/post test which measured students' attitudes towards joining a gang. Prior to the program
50% were undecided about joining a gang, while after the program, 90% responded negatively.
In the second evaluation, a control group was added,whose responses remained at 50%undecided
on both tests. The third evaluation included a one year follow-up, in which 90% of the students
who were a part of the program continued to indicate a negative attitude toward gang
membership. The major weakness with this evaluation was the problem of relying on
self-reports, and the lack of data on actual behavior.
d. The Violence Prevention Project
Health Promotion Program for Urban Youth, Boston Department of Health and Hospitals
Found in Carnegie Report "Violence Prevention for Early Teens: The State of the Art..."
Program: This is a community-wide, multi-institution project with the goals of reducing the
number of fights,assaults, and intentional injuries, and for the community involvement to become
self-sustaining. It consists of curriculum development, community-based prevention education,
clinical treatment services, and a media campaign, with a community educator for each target
community, who uses the curriculum as a foundation in as many community settings as possible.
D. 3
Evaluation: Consisted of dual community-wide random telephone surveys-one immediately prior
to implementation, and the second at the end of the first year. The preliminary analysis indicated
minimal impact relative to the control group during the start-up year. However, they are already
witnessing outgrowths of the project, such as the Community Coalition to Prevent Black
Homicide. They are in the process of instituting surveillance systems in hospitals and other
institutions to measure impact.
4. Conflict Resolution/Peer Mediation Programs
a. School Mediation Associates
School Mediation Associates
134 Standish Road, Watertown, MA 02172
(617) 876-6074
Program: Trains student leaders to help peers resolve interpersonal conflicts
Evaluation: Conducted by SMA and consisted of research questionnaires mailed out to the 200
schools that use their program; one hundred surveys were returned.
Results: Their preliminary findings include that 70% to 95% rate of agreement between parties
post mediation. The rest of their findings were based on program implementation and perceived
overall "health" of the program, rather than outcomes.
b. The Fighting Fair Model/The Rules for Fighting Fair
Developed by Peace Education Foundation.
David V. Jacobsen, (904) 487-3220
Florida Injury Prevention and Control Program, Office of Health Promotion and Wellness
Program: Using the Fighting Fair Model curriculum, teaches students to deal with conflict
constructively.
Evaluation: Supported with grant from the CDC. Three classes selected randomly as
experimental groups, and three classes as control groups. Results were analyzed through use of
a survey given to students in which they responded to hypothetical situations, and through school
staff evaluations of behavior.
Results: Pre/post survey scores improved significantly for the experimental group, but changed
little for control group. Weighted behavior scores improved significantly for both groups before
and after although more significantly for participants.
C. "The Rules for Fighting Fair" Plus Peer Mediation
Orange County, North Carolina middle schools
Program: Combination conflict resolution curriculum to sixth graders("The Rules for Fighting
Fair") and peer mediation with student mediators nominated by their peers.
Evaluation: Looked at disciplinary records for the sixth grade and the whole school. There was
no control group, no discussion about whether the baseline year was a representative year, and
no way of separating out the effects of the curriculum and the peer mediation.
Results: From year prior to implementation to year of implementation, for sixth graders,
disciplinary referrals dropped 82%, in school suspensions 42%, and out of school suspensions
97%. For the entire schools, in-school suspensions dropped 25%, out-of-school suspicions 26%.
d. BRAVE (Baltimoreans Reducing All Violent Encounters)
Joseph L. Washington, Director, Project BRAVE
(410) 383-5755
Program: Implemented at an elementary school in Baltimore. A group of school mediators were
nominated by teachers, interviewed, and trained. Upon seeing a dispute, ask students if want peer
mediation.
Evaluation: Programmers kept track of the results of peer mediated conflicts. No control group
was used.
Results: Disputants who accepted peer mediation signed contracts following 93% of the incidents
and 95% honored these contracts for the remainder of the year.
e. Kansas City Schools
(Westwood Elementary, Washington Elementary, Fort Riley Elementary, Milford Elementary,
Custer Hill Elementary, City Middle School, Junction City High School)
Program: Conflict mediation lessons and trained peer mediators.
Evaluation: Programmers kept data on the number of conflicts mediated and successfully
resolved, anecdotal information, a pre/post self-concept scale to compare conflict managers with
regular students, post "how to handle conflict" survey, and incidence of aggressive behavior. No
control group was measured, except on the pre/post self conflict scale.
Results: Eighty-nine percent of disputes mediated by a student manager were successfully
resolved. They did not use nearly enough students on the pre/post self-concept scale measurement
to have significant results, and partially as a result, the results were mixed. The incidence of
aggressive behavior on the playground, however, dropped 65% at one school, and 40% at
another. Students who received the conflict mediation lessons scored better on the "how to
handle conflict" survey than those who did not.
L "Boston Conflict Resolution Program"
Boston Area Educators for Social Responsibility.
Found in Carnegie Report "Violence Prevention for Early Teens. The State of the Art..."
Program: Includes a grade specific conflict resolution curriculum and a peer mediation program.
Evaluation: They are in the process of conducting an evaluation which consists of biannual
interviews with children from each grade, with a comparison group at a different school. The
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major weakness in this evaluation is that it does not evaluate actual behavior changes. The
program staff sites lack of funds, as well as overworked teachers, lack of support services for
schools to deal with severe student needs, and failure of society to address root causes as barriers
to program and evaluation success.
g. Conflict Management/Peer Mediation Program
Kansas Child Abuse Prevention Council
Topeka, Kansas.
Found in Carnegie Report "Violence Prevention for Early Teens. The State of the Art..."
Program: Includes an eight week curriculum on non-violent problem solving, and peer mediation.
Evaluation: Kansas University conducted an evaluation in four elementary schools consisting of
pre/post tests based on knowledge gains. They looked at differences in knowledge gains between
the control and experimental groups, and between genders. equivalent control group. The major
weaknesses of the evaluation were that it did not study behavioral changes, and it did not include
the impact of peer mediation in its evaluation.
Results: The experimental group showed significant improvements while the control group scores
remained about the same. Girls in both the experimental and control groups started out more
"solution oriented." Girls in experimental group showed the most significant gains. Although
they showed significant improvement, boys in the experimental group ended up a little less
"solution oriented" than pre-intervention girls.
h. "Resolving Conflict Creatively Program" (RCA)
The NYC Board of Education and NYC Educators for Social Responsibility.
Found in Carnegie Report "Violence Prevention for Early Teens. The State of the Art..."
Program: Consists of a twenty hour training course for teachers, a ten unit curriculum on creative
conflict resolution for children, classroom visits by expert consultants, monthly two hour
follow-ups with individual schools, and a school mediation component (added later and only to
a few schools).
Evaluation: Consisted of a survey of teachers and administrators about training and
implementation, student achievement tests based on knowledge of concepts and self-reported
conflict resolution, and a survey of teachers and students on peer mediation and perceived impact.
The major weaknesses were that the evaluations were that the teachers knew that the students had
been involved in the program and there were no control group of teachers.
Results: The surveys indicated positive responses about the program,training and implementation,
and its perceived impact on student behavior and methods of conflict resolution. Teachers also
felt they were personally impacted in their own understandings of dealing with conflict, in their
ability to listen, and their sensitivity in dealing with students of different backgrounds. The
achievement scores indicated an increase in knowledge about conflict resolution terms relative
to the control group. Anecdotal evidence is also very strong for this program and consequently
the program is highly endorsed by teachers and schools.
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i. Violence Prevention Curriculum Project
Education Development Center
Newton, Mass.
Program: Consists of a ten session curriculum focused on providing information on risk factors,
role of anger in interpersonal violence/constructive channeling, and alternative means of conflict
resolution.
Evaluation: The evaluation was described by the Carnegie Foundation as "quasi experimental"
based on an opinion survey given to students and teacher behavior ratings. The results indicated
a marginally significant improvement in behavior, but teachers were not blind to which students
were in the experimental group.
5. Programs that Target "High Risk" Adolescents
a. PACT (Positive Adolescent Choices Training)
School of Professional Psychology
Wright State University
Ellis Human Development Institute, Dayton, OH
(513) 873-4300
Program: This program trains "high risk" middle schoolers selected by their teachers, for small
group, classroom training twice a week for the semester.
Pilot study: Selected a group of 15 trainees and a control group. The teachers, who were not
blind to group assignments, a pair of outside observers who were blind to group assignments, and
the adolescents themselves rated communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills before
and after the program period.
Results: Teachers, observers, and adolescents all reported gains, often significant gains, in most
areas for the trained adolescents. School records also document reduced violence-related school
behavior for the trained group. They did not find similar gains for the control group. They also
found that the most significant increases came in areas that were the most deficient prior to the
training.
Results from outcome study: A 1992-1993 outcome study documented the following changes
among PACT students--a 50% drop in physical aggression at school (a greater drop than for
similar non-trained students), behavior improvements that lasted beyond project duration, and a
50% fewer overall and violence-related juvenile court charges than non-trained control group.
b. Attributional Retraining
"Long Term Effects of Attributional Retraining on Aggression Reduction"
Cynthia Ann Hudley
Graduate School of Education
University of California-Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
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Program: Aggressive children are prone to "attributional error," that is, the inappropriate
assignment of harmful intentions to peers. An aggressive child, for example, may perceive an
accidental bump as a push. The "Attributional Retraining" program is a 12 week curriculum
designed to train aggressive boys to infer non-hostile intent.
Evaluation: Supported by a grant from the CDC. The study used four different sites, and, at each
site, designated a group of aggressive and non-aggressive boys who receive attributional
retraining, a similar group who receives a placebo critical thinking skills course, and a third group
who receives no training. Data was collected pre/post, with a six month follow-up. The
researcher will continue follow up for another 18 months. Data consisted of a questionnaire with
scenarios to assess attributional changes, and behavior tracking.
Results: Preliminary results have been gathered for pre/post and the 6 month follow-up. Referrals
to disciplinarian related to aggressive behavior fell significantly for the attributional retraining
group only. Teachers who rated students on cooperation, self control, and overall class behavior
documented an improvement for the retrained boys compared to the other two groups of children
(although not statistically significant). Finally, when students rates their own levels of
cooperation and self-control,only the retrained group's self-assessment corresponded significantly
to the teachers' assessment.
c. Project Stress Control through Stress Management for Juveniles in Youth Development
Centers
Atlanta, Ga.
Found in Carnegie Report "Violence Prevention for Early Teens: The State of the Art..."
Program: Trains staff and parents in workshops and troubled youth in a six week course on stress
management and drug education.
Evaluation: Consisted of pre/post test questionnaires on stress and coping skills, and behavioral
reports from teachers. The major weaknesses in this evaluation were the use of an non-validated
instrument to measure stress, the exposure of the control group to trained staff, and the sporadic
use of control groups.
Results: They used a control group only for the pre-post tests, and discovered no statistically
significant difference between the control and experimental groups. They did find a 30%
reduction in behavioral problems for the experimental group, with no data on a control group.
d. Viewpoints Training Program
Chicago
Found in Carnegie Report "Violence Prevention for Early Teens: The State of the Art..."
Program: Focuses on improving the problems solving skills of juvenile offenders and challenging
their beliefs about aggression. It consists of 12 hour long group discussion sessions and a
workbook. The evaluation itself was different than the others because it was designed by
researchers as an empirical study. The major problem was that the curriculum was published and
evaluated by the same group.
D- 3
Evaluation: Looked at adolescents who were incarcerated for violent criminal acts, using three
different, randomly assigned groups. One group had no-treatment, another was an "attention
placebo" group, and the third received the treatment. There were both pre/post testing and
behavior ratings. The participants showed an increase in social problem solving skills, and a
decrease in endorsement of aggression, both relative to the control groups. While participants
were somewhat less likely to be recidivists, the results were not statistically significant.
6. Guidelines for Program Evaluation
a. "Violence Prevention for Early Teens: The State of the Art and Guidelines for Future
Program Evaluation"
In July of 1990, the Carnegie Foundation funded a conference to look at the proliferation
of violence prevention programs and their effectiveness. Prior to that conference, they sent a
survey to 83 different violence prevention programs throughout the country, focusing on those
whose explicit goals included violence prevention. Fifty-one programs responded and the
foundation examined the individual project goals and evaluations. The foundation includes a
summary of the evaluation process of eleven different programs in the "State of the Art" paper.
The eleven evaluated programs are meant to serve as "case studies" or samples of the types of
program evaluations currently in the field.
The goals of the fifty-one responding programs include the following:violence prevention,
conflict resolution, gang prevention, domestic/family violence prevention, self-esteem
development, peer mediation, non-violence education,teen dating violence/rape, battered women
and batterers, behavior management, battering during pregnancy, supporting assault victims,
handgun violence, and safe schools. Note that most programs had more than one major goal.
The programs focused on the following populations: children, adolescents, teachers/school
administrators, parents, staff of youth organizations, social workers, health care providers,
police/probation officers, inmates, juvenile offenders, judges, counselors/therapists, and
interfaith/church groups.
Of the fifty-one respondents, 16% had no evaluation of any kind. This is probably an
underestimate of the total percentage of programs with no evaluation, because of selection bias
associated with voluntary participation. In addition, the program evaluations were often not very
vigorous. Only one quarter of the programs held evaluations based on outcomes, and most of
these were based on simple pre/post tests which measured attitude and knowledge changes rather
than actual behavior changes. In addition, none of the evaluations were longitudinal, following
participants for an extended time frame. According to the Carnegie Foundation, no evaluations
met rigorous methodological studies. Barriers to this type of evaluation included resources, the
desire to do something quickly, and not using available research on aggressive behavior
effectively in program and evaluation design.
D,?
b. Comprehensive Peer Mediation Evaluation Project
Funded by The Hewlet Foundation
Researcher: Dr. Tricia Jones
(215) 204-8543
V5431E@vm.temple.edu
Evaluation: In the process of conducting a two year research project. It involves nine schools
at each of four different sites. The schools fall into one of three categories. Peer Mediation
Training schools (schools who are trained to implement a peer mediation program), Peer
Mediation Plus schools (schools who receive the above training plus additional training on
communication and conflict management skills to adults in the larger community, and training
for teachers on implementing a conflict management and communication program for 3-12
graders), and finally Control schools who cannot have any skills development classes (peer
mediation, conflict skills training) during the two years of the study. Researchers will collect data
including general violence and suspension rates with baseline data from 1-3 years prior, violence
and suspension rates of peer mediators and a select group of other students, surveys on the school
climate to be administered to teachers and students, tests on attitudes about conflict, information
on dispute resolution success, observations conducted by researchers, and case narrative histories
from each school. The project appears comprehensive, in that it allows for both anecdotal as well
as empirical evidence, and involves both tests that measure behavioral changes as well as attitude
and knowledge changes. The use of three different types of schools allows researchers to
separate the effect of peer mediation from the impact of combined peer mediation, curriculum,
and community skill building.
C. "Teaching Students to be Peacemakers: Results of Five Years of Research" (1994)
David W. Johnson and Roger T. Johnson
University of Minnesota
202 Pattee Hall
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
Evaluation: The researchers conducted seven studies between 1988 and 1994, evaluating the
effectiveness of two types of peer mediation programs: "total student body," in which all of the
students were trained in conflict resolution skills, and "school cadre," in which a small group of
students were trained to be peer mediators. Five studies included control groups, in three of
which the control groups were randomly selected from the same school. The studies looked at
knowledge gain and retention on mediation skills, empirical and anecdotal evidence on incidents
of peer mediation and teacher mediation, empirical data on numbers and types of conflicts,
interviews, and simulations. The results come from different studies and include the following.
Most of them come from "total student body" programs:
1. Untrained students were two times more likely than trained students to go to the
teacher for help in conflict resolution. Trained students often negotiated their own
solutions, while no untrained student attempted to do so. Before training, half or more
students would go to the teacher for help in resolving a conflict, whereas after the
training, students would only 15% of the time.
2. Studies showed significant retention of negotiation and mediation steps three
months after training.
3. Many students reported, and their parents reported about their children, using
mediation skills to resolve their conflicts outside of the classroom and even outside of
school (such as with brothers and sisters at home). In fact, one study found that students
used strategies learned in school as frequently at home as in school.
4. Strategies used in resolving conflicts were classified and appeared similar for
control and experimental groups prior to training,but significantly different after training,
with many students using integrative negotiation rather than "win-lose" approaches after
training.
5. Interviews with principals and teachers indicated a perceived positive impact on
classroom environment and individual conflict management. One group of teachers
reported an 80% drop in conflicts referred to them and the conflicts referred to principals
dropped to zero. All teachers reported that they would continue using peer mediation
training.
6. When conflict scenarios were given in written, interview, and video tape simulation,
many trained students used mediation skills while no control students or "mixed"pairs did.
In summary, peer mediation training appears successful in developing both self-
regulation among children, both in and out of school, and in improving conflict
management from "win-lose" strategies to negotiation.
Conclusions:
Ideally,a rigorous evaluation would have the following components: randomized selection
of participants and controls within target populations, measurements of the separate effects of
various components, measurements of behavior as well as knowledge increases and perceived
changes in climate, and a large enough sample population. It would useful for some evaluations
to measure gender differences and impact on "high risk" versus "low risk" adolescents. Finally,
there is a dearth of longitudinal studies similar to the PeaceBuilders evaluation which measure
long term impacts. Barriers to this type of evaluation include funding, understanding of the
importance of built in evaluations, wanting to do "something" quickly to respond to high rates
of violence, and support from overburdened teachers and staff. Notably, the better evaluations
have been done by a University or with seed money from the Centers for Disease Control.
Even if the programs are evaluated rigorously, however, it may be difficult to accumulate
data or predict the transferability of findings to similar approaches, since program details and
implementation vary so widely even within program "types." The same project may be much
more successful at one school than another due to different student populations, level of training,
and commitment of teachers, administrators, and parents.
The above list is only a sample of violence prevention programs and studies available.
The list does provide important insight, however. First, there are very few programs which
include both schools and families or communities around them, although it is clear that lessons
taught in schools should be reinforced in order to be most effective. Second, the large number
of "conflict resolution" and "peer mediation" programs indicate that field experts consider the
skills learned in these programs valuable and promising. Finally, many violence prevention
programs appear moderately successful in meeting at least their short term goals. Anecdotal
evidence indicates that teachers, administrators, program directors, and adolescents are relatively
pleased with the programs.
APPENDIX 2
Research For Firearm-related Suicide And Unintentional Injuries/Deaths
Background. In Contra Costa County during the period of July 1, 1992 to June 30, 1993,
8% of all firearm injuries and deaths were unintentional, 25.5% of firearm deaths and 1.5% of
firearm injuries were suicides and suicide attempts, and firearms are the most effective
method of suicide (85% of attempts were successful). Given this information, staff
investigated strategies and the availability of programs aimed at reducing firearm-related
suicides and unintentional injuries.l
1. Unintentional Injuries
The following strategies could be effective in preventing firearm related unintentional injuries
and death:
Category A: General firearm injury/violence prevention curricula incorporated into the
classrooms.
Findings: There are only a handful of such programs. The most flexible,
comprehensive, and widely used is the Straight Talk About Risks (STAR) program. (See
report on firearm curricula for more detailed information).
Category B: Firearm injury prevention curricula with no violence prevention component
Findings: Again, only a few. The most prominent is the Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program.
Category C: Adult safety courses aimed at teaching gun owners, particularly parents, gun
safety such as storage, cleaning, and firing.
Findings:
1. Firearm Safety and Responsibility Act (Penal Code Section 12.800-12.809) requires all
handgun buyers to receive a Basic Firearms Safety Certificate (BFSC) or be exempt, as of
April 1, 1994, prior to purchasing the handgun. The California Department of Justice has a
Firearms Program which is responsible for the BFSC program. In order to qualify, one must:
-Complete a Department of Justice video course (a two hour presentation of basic firearm
safety/information).
OR
-Pass a Department of Justice objective test, which includes questions on safe use, handling,
and storage of handguns; methods of childproofing handguns; the laws applicable to carrying
and handling handguns; and responsibilities of firearm ownership.
OR
-Enroll in and pass Department of Justice certified safety course.
2. The National Rifle Association Range, Training, and Recreational Shooting Department
(1-800-231-0752) offers referrals to 35,000 certified instructors for classes in both shooting
safety (in rifles, handguns, and other firearms), and a Home Firearm Safety course which
D -3
addresses basic safety rules (storage, keeping away from children, and cleaning). This five
hour course does not address firing weapons.
Category D: Hospital/Health Department based education on firearm safety.
Findings:
1. The American Academy of Pediatrics (847-228-5005) offers a brochure, "Keeping Your
Family Safe". The brochure addresses home safety with respect to firearms. While it
recommends that families with children do not possess a firearm in the home, it does explain
basic safety information regarding storage, toddlers, depression and adolescents, and more. A
number of other organizations offer similar brochures which should be made available in
health clinics, and other health settings along with other injury prevention material.
2. The STOP Program developed by the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence (202-289-7319)
In this program, pediatricians discuss home gun safety with parents and children.
Center to Prevent Handgun Violence also produced a brochure on safety guidelines.
3. Monterey County Health Department (408-755-8486)
The department developed a gun storage education and trigger lock coupon program that is
directed to parents who have guns in their homes and health care providers. The goal was to
educate health department staff on the dangers of unintentional firearm-related injuries. They
successfully obtained 25% off trigger lock coupons from gun dealers to offer to health care
providers, including WIC, and public health nursing, to give out to parents. They developed
bilingual education material on gun safety, and worked to incorporate gun storage education
into public health services. Their staff made presentations to various public audiences on
firearm injuries.
4. Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center (206-521-1520)
They are beginning a public education campaign in which they encourage people to lock up
guns, use lock boxes, and buy guns with trigger locks. A component of the public education
program includes a high profile media campaign, working through physicians and primarily
family practitioners, who will provide patients with information and give them a lock box
coupon. The program will also work with manufacturers and other community members.
Category E: General community education on firearm safety.
Findings:
1. The Alliance for a Safer, Greater Detroit (313-224-5826, Andrea Solak)
The Alliance uses education to promote awareness of risk factors, responsibility of gun
ownership, and gun safety. They produced a small, user friendly booklet called "Safety First:
Guidelines for Gunowners" to show readers how to disable guns in the home with trigger
locks, padlocks, and cable locks. Together with KMart, the Alliance gave 3500 trigger locks
to people who purchased firearms. The group created a PSA to be aired on local radio
stations about gun safety in the home. They are in the process of producing a series of
trainings to train cops who could then train community members how to handle weapons
safely.
Category F: Reduce the availability of guns, specifically handguns
(Note: The Pacific Center for Violence may have a more complete list of these laws)
Findings:
1. Waiting Periods: Brady Bill requires a 15 day wait, for the purpose of a cooling-off period
and time for authorities to conduct a background check. Legislation recently passed reduced
the wait to 10 days.
2. "Straw Sale" Restriction (California State Legislation): A part of Firearm Safety and
Responsibility Act which declares it a felony for anyone to purchase, or help purchase, a
firearm on behalf of someone else (anyone else).
3. Local gun dealer regulations:
(See attached chart which details ordinances within Contra Costa County)
a. In Oakland, the City Attorney's office drafted an ordinance requiring all gun
dealers, including those working out of homes, to register and operate as a
business. This would mean that guns had to be locked in a safe, and that deliveries
could not be left on doorstep.
b. In Oakland, a gun dealer ordinance was passed requiring gun dealers to carry
$1 million in liability insurance.
c. Encourage community reporting of gun dealers who sell to minors or participate
in otherwise illegal activities.
4. Restriction on Sale to Minors: As a part of the California Firearm Safety and
Responsibility Act, it is a felony for any person to illegally provide a firearm to a minor.
5. Restriction on Possession of a Firearm by a Minor. As a part of the California Firearm
Safety and Responsibility Act, it is a felony for anyone under the age of 21 to possess a
firearm without direct adult supervision, except on private property. Note: most
suicides/unintentional firearm injuries take place on private property.
6. Outright ban on handguns: Some advocates claim that waiting periods, background checks
and other gun control acts will not affect change, since so much of firearm injury is
committed by non-previous offenders, especially in family related violence, and is committed
with guns already located within a person's home. The principle argument against the ban is
that law abiding citizens have a right/need to protect themselves.
Category G: Consumer product regulation.
Advocates claim that guns are like any other potentially dangerous consumer good, and ought
to be regulated to reduce risks. The primary argument against this regulation is that guns
cannot be made safe, because their intention is to injure.
Findings:
1. Endorsed by the California Police Chiefs Association.
2. Endorsed by the Violence Policy Center.2 They suggest that the ATF be given the
authority, staff, and budget to set safety standards, monitor compliance, issue recalls, and
restrict specific classes of firearms.
3. Handgun Control, Inc. indicates that there currently is nothing in the works within the
Federal Legislature.
4. Mandatory Sale of Trigger Locking Device. As a part of the California Firearms Dealers
Responsibility and Liability Act, no firearm may be sold without a trigger locking device.
2. Suicides
The following strategies could be effective in preventing firearm related suicides:
Category A: General strategies to reduce accessibility to firearms.
Findings: See above listed strategies for unintentional injuries.
Category B: General programs to reduce depression and suicide.
Findings:
1. In their report on Programs for Suicide Prevention, the Centers for Disease Control, made
the following observations:
a. Links between suicide prevention programs and existing community mental health
resources are rare.
b. School-based education programs focusing specifically on suicide are applied
frequently, but there is no substantial evidence to suggest that they are effective.
c. While there is evidence that restricting access to lethal means, such as guns and
drugs, and reducing risk factors, such as alcohol and handguns, can help prevent
suicide, few programs use in their "suicide" prevention curricula.
d. Programs that probably are effective in reducing suicide, likealcohol/drug abuse
treatment, counseling for teen pregnancies, other problems, are not considered "suicide
reduction" and so not evaluated as such.
e. There is very little evaluation on effectiveness of various programs.
f. Relying on a single prevention strategy would not be an effective approach.
2. Sample suicide prevention programs:
a. "Working in School-Based Clinics to Prevent Adolescent Suicides."
Jennifer Bryson, Adolescent Health Coordinator
MCH, Kentucky Department of Human Resources (502-564-2154)
The Maternal and Child Health Agency within the Kentucky Department of Human
Resources works through its school-based clinics to prevent adolescent suicide.
Program components:
-Identify adolescents at-risk through a comprehensive health history
which all students complete on their first visit. Survey covers depression,
family issues, and access to a gun, among other topics.
-Counsels at-risk students at the.school-based clinics. Gets parents
�+ 3
involved unless teen requests confidentiality.
-Refers at-risk students to comprehensive care clinics, encourages them
to keep appointments, and more.
b. 'Bilingual Emergency Room Intervention for Adolescent Women Who Attempt
Suicide." John Piacentini, Director, Adolescent Suicide Disorders Clinic.
(212-960-2327)
This program was developed because few adolescents who attempt suicide and
receive initial treatment, return for follow-up care.
Program components:
-Provide specialized training for emergency room staff
-Provide a video-tape presentation for adolescents and parents which
encourages them to receive ongoing care.
-Provide bilingual, crisis social worker 24 hours/day. Once an adolescent is
brought in, the social worker acts as a liaison, linking family to follow-up
care.
c. "Suicide Prevention Program For California Schools"
Grew out of California Bill 947 (1983), authorizing the development of a statewide
Youth Suicide Prevention School Program. Tested in Los Angeles and San Mateo
County. Program is composed of lesson guides for 9-12 graders, as well as guides for
staff and parent awareness. According to CDC recommendations, the program should
not be implemented alone.
d. Crisis intervention team
A crisis intervention team is a group of counselors working in concert to help students
cope with crises that might otherwise cause depression/suicide attempts, i.e., friend
committing suicide, sudden losses. During or immediately after a crisis, the team
meets with students, teachers, and staff to offer a sense of safety/stability/forum for
discussion. 3
e. Peer counseling/mediation in the schools
Peer counselors are available to discuss anything from child abuse, to divorce,
suicide, and dating.4
f. Drug and alcohol awareness/intervention programs
Contacts:
Center to Prevent Handgun Violence,
Rick Bilky, (202) 289-7319
Handgun Control Inc.,
(202) 898-0792
Santa Clara Maternal and Child Health: the Childhood Injury Prevention Program,
(408) 299-5850
San Francisco Injury Center,
(415) 821-8209
Disability Rights, Education, and Defense Fund (A legal group),
(510) 644-2555
Child Health and Disability Prevention,
(916) 842-8240
California Department of Justice, Firearm Safety Certificate Program,
Linda Dickinson, (916) 227-4882
California Emergency Preparedness and Injury Control, Branch of CA Department of
Health Services, Roger Trent, (916) 323-3611
San Joaquin County Injury Prevention,
Lynn Walton, Injury Prevention Coordinator, (209) 468-0327
American Academy of Pediatrics,
(847) 228-5005
Constitutional Rights Foundation,
Kathleen Kirby, Education Director, (213) 487-5590
CSUSD Childhood Injury Prevention Center,
Anne Hammond, (619) 594-3691
Injury Prevention Research Center,
Jess F Kraus, Director, (310)206-4115
Office of Violence and Injury Prevention,
Alicia Dixon-Diggs, Program Coordinator (619) 285-6559
Center for Gun Policy and Research,
Susan De Fransesco (410) 614-3243
National Rifle Association,
Range, Training, and Recreational Shooting Department, (800) 231-0752
Children's Safety Network,
Leona Gill, (703) 524-7802
Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center,
Louane D'Ambrosio (206) 521-1520
The Alliance for a Safer, Greater Detroit,
Andrea Solak, (313) 224-5826
Resources/Directories:
The Campaign to Prevent Handgun Violence Against Kids, Resource Directory, 1995-1996
"Building Safe Communities" State and Local Strategies for Preventing Injury and Violence
"Preventing Violence. A Framework for Schools and Communities," C.H.E.F.
"Taking Action to Prevent Adolescent Violence: Educational Resources for Schools ad
Community Organizations"
"National Directory of Youth Violence Prevention Resources," Center to Prevent Handgun
Violence.
"The Prevention of Youth Violence. A Framework for Community Action," CDC.
Contra Costa County, CW&PP files.
1 FIRST Report
2 Rolling Stone, March 10, 1994
3 Suggested by the National School Safety Center at Pepperdine University
4 Suggested by the National School Safety Center at Pepperdine University
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DATE/PREVENTION COORDINATORS
From: Bianca Bloom
Subject: REPORT ON FIREARM INJURIES
Date: October 1, 1996
We have been requested by the County Board of Supervisors Family and Human Services committee
to offer a venue for a report prepared by the Health Services Department of Firearm Injuries in
Contra Costa County for school educators.
Cassandra Youngblood, Community Violence Prevention Coordinator,and Susan Leahy, manager of
the Violence Prevention Program, would like to present data which gives a one year snapshot of
firearm injury and death in Contra Costa County. Firearms have become the leading cause of injury
death for all 10 to 14 year old youth in this county. This, and other facts of their report, is important
information for educators. This Violence Prevention team would also like our recommendations
about school programs and policies which address violence. They, in tum, will take our
recommendations to the County Board of Supervisors to inform future policy.
Please plan to attend this important meeting on
MONDAY NOVEMBER 4, 1996
9 TO I 0 AM
COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
BOARD ROOM
If you have any questions or concerns, I can be reached at the number below.
cc: District Superintendents
Alternative Education Programs • 77 Santa Barbara Road • Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
(510)942-3408 0 FAX(510)INSIOW 942-3353
Bianca Bloom, Ed.D., Director
OCT-16-1996 11:24 96% P.01
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