Reverse the Cuts | Alliance for Safety and Justice

Federal Cuts Abandon Crime Victims and Make Us All Less Safe

On April 22, the Department of Justice cut 365 grants to organizations working to advance safety, prevent crime, and provide services to victims. The cuts impact hundreds of organizations providing life-saving support and interventions that ensure safety for residents in neighborhoods across the country through victims’ services, community violence intervention, domestic violence victims’ services and youth programming.

Community Organizations are the Foundations of Safety

The Department of Justice created these 365 grants because community-based programs make safety a reality. One affected program observed a 32% reduction in homicides in its five longest running sites and reductions in nonfatal shootings as large as 84%. Another program observed a 55% reduction in deaths and hospital visits due to firearm violence. Alumni of a violence prevention program affected by the cuts were 73% less likely to be arrested for a violent crime. Another affected program successfully helped survivors of domestic violence avoid more victimization. Other affected organizations were working to prevent elder abuse, combat antisemitism, and support survivors of human trafficking.

Cuts Endanger Safety

Every 10 additional organizations focusing on crime and community life in a city leads to a nine percent reduction in the murder rate, a six percent reduction in the violent crime rate, and a four percent reduction in the property crime rate.

Victims’ Services: Cancelled: 82 grants. $138 million.
Victims who get access to services experience less re-victimization, have fewer long term mental health challenges and more economic stability.
- These programs help victims of crime recover in the aftermath of violence, and include things like shelters, life saving crisis support, counseling, legal guidance and help with meeting basic needs including housing, job security and more.
Community violence intervention: Cancelled: 109 grants. $249 million.
Cities that implement community violence intervention programs see reductions in violence and crime.
- Community violence intervention is a core function of public safety that works in partnership with law enforcement, enlisting trusted residents with deep relationships in communities to intervene, mediate and de-escalate situations to prevent crisis from becoming crime.
Domestic Violence Victims’ Services: Cancelled 29 grants. $18 million.
Domestic violence victims’ services save lives by helping victims in a number of ways, including providing access to shelter and safety.

NEW PUBLIC OPINION RESEARCH

Voters see violence prevention programs as essential; want the Dept. of Justice to restore funding.

90% of likely voters approve of “Federal funding for violence prevention programs and victim services.” These strong ratings run across partisan lines.

Eight of ten voters (79%) agree that the ”The Trump administration and the Department of Justice should reinstate funding for victim services, community violence prevention programs and youth outreach.”

Victims’ Services Save Lives. Cutting Those Services Puts Lives At Risk.

Interact with the map by rolling over the individual states to explore more detailed information about each one.

$800 MILLION in Cuts Impacts Communities Across the Country

Organizations operating in 116 cities and 36 states will cease or modify operations due to these cuts.
The DOJ cut 109 grants totaling $248 million dollars to organizations working to implement or improve community violence intervention.
Plus 81 grants totaling $138 million to organizations providing or improving victim services.
Organizations that provide services to survivors of domestic violence and prevention services to youth were also impacted.

These cuts will result in fewer crime victims getting support and safety, higher costs to businesses and taxpayers, and thousands more homicides, tens of thousands more aggravated assaults, and tens of thousands more people injured in the coming years.

Community Organizations Are the Foundations of Safety.

Victim Services and Trauma Recovery Centers

What they are

Victim service organizations provide resources and support to victims of all kinds of crimes, including victims of gun violence, elder and child abuse and human trafficking. Trauma Recovery Centers serve as focal points where victims can access wraparound services from multiple victim service organizations, tailored to meet their needs. Some victims might need transportation to medical appointments, help understanding legal documents related to their case, childcare, access to mental health resources, or employment support. These are some of the crucial services victims receive through networks of victim service providers.

Why it matters

Victim services improve outcomes for crime victims. An evaluation of clients who received services through a Trauma Recovery Center found:

A 56% increase in return to employment
A 69% increase in reporting to law enforcement among sexual assault victims
95% of participants reported feeling better emotionally
93% reported improvements in day-to-day functioning
90% reported improvements in relationships with family and friends

And, victim services are cost efficient:

Trauma Recover Center services cost less than traditional fee-for-service victim services.
92 percent of respondents in a national survey of Trauma Recovery Centers reported that services provided through their organization result in their clients being less reliant on social services
Trauma Recovery Centers coordinate care across multiple providers and avoid service duplication.

Community Violence Intervention

What they are

Community violence intervention programs work in partnership with law enforcement to prevent violence before it happens. These community-led programs hire trusted members of the community who are trained in de-escalation tactics to reach out directly to people most likely to be affected by violence. The programs build relationships with community members, mediate conflicts before they escalate, and connect participants to resources like job training, housing support, mental health care or victim services. By working to actually prevent violence, rather than just responding to it, community violence intervention programs help communities interrupt cycles of violence and create lasting safety.

Why it matters

Violence intervention programs make communities safer.

Wherever these programs are prevalent, communities see reductions in violence, including fewer shootings, retaliations and homicides.
Miami-Dade County’s Circle of Brotherhood focused on violence interventions in the two ZIP codes with the most homicides. Homicides fell 84% between 2020 to 2024 in one ZIP code and 60% in the other. This organization was impacted by cuts.
Newark Community Street Team in Newark, New Jersey intervenes in hundreds of potentially violent situations every year, helping drive the number of homicides down to a 60-year low. This organization was impacted by cuts.
Chicago CRED reduced arrests for violent offenses by 73% among people who completed the program. This organization was impacted by cuts.
Advance Peace in Richmond, California, was associated with massive reductions in firearm violence: 55% fewer deaths and hospital visits and 43% fewer crimes. An affiliated program in Sacramento saw gun homicides and assaults decline by 22%, saving between $25 and $58 million. This organization was impacted by cuts.
Programs by ROCA, Inc., in Chelsea, Massachusetts, benefit participants, with 89% of them showing improved emotional regulation and 96% avoiding new incarcerations. Program participants also experience lower rates of violence. This organization was impacted by cuts.
An evaluation of Baltimore Safe Streets showed homicides were 32% lower in its five longest-running sites.
Peacekeepers Program in Chicago experienced a 41% overall reduction in victimizations.
A New York-based community violence intervention program evaluation found gun violence was 20% lower than it would have been in the absence of the program.

Domestic Violence

What they are

Survivors in violent relationships face many barriers when they decide to get help. Many have nowhere else to go or have children with their abusive partner. They may fear retaliation, which makes leaving the most dangerous period for a survivor—this is when they are most likely to be seriously injured or killed. Domestic violence shelters and resources offer a lifeline for safety in this critical period. Services that support victims of domestic violence include providing emergency shelter, counseling, or legal aid in filing restraining orders or navigating custody proceedings.

Why it matters

Women who worked with intensive community-based advocates experienced less violence over time, reported higher quality of life and social support, and had less difficulty obtaining community resources. More than twice as many women receiving advocacy services experienced no violence across the two years post-intervention compared with women who did not receive such services.
Compared to women who received standard court services, women working with law student advocates reported significantly less physical and psychological re-abuse after six weeks.
Community-based outreach by victim advocates results in decreased distress levels and greater readiness to leave abusive relationships compared to system-based referrals.
Shelter-based treatment for victims of intimate partner violence through Helping to Overcome PTSD through Empowerment (HOPE) was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of re-abuse over the six-month follow-up period relative to standard shelter services.

Youth Programs

What they are

Youth intervention and prevention programs offer resources and mentorship to children most likely to be impacted by violence.

Why it matters

Youth outreach programs lead to fewer kids victimized, arrested, and detained.

Clients of the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative were involved in 36 percent fewer violent offenses and 20 percent fewer non-violent offenses relative to youth identified for the program and never enrolled. These programs are cost effective, saving the city five dollars for every dollar invested in the program.

Hear Their Voices:

Victims of Violent Crime and Voters Have Made Clear What Safety Means to Them

Listening to Survivors:

Voters’ Views on Safety and Justice

Voters overwhelmingly support public safety programs impacted by these cuts.
- 91% believe victims of crime should be able to access trauma recovery centers
- 93% believe victims of crime should be able to access mental health counseling services
- 82% believe victims of crime should be able to access addiction treatment
When we asked voters which public safety functions should be protected from budget cuts, 57% identified prevention programs as the most important to protect versus 37% who identified police functions.

Crime Survivors Speak 2024:

A National Survey of Victims’ Views on Safety and Justice

Nearly two out of three victims of violence think that the most important public safety functions to protect from budget cuts are treatment, prevention, and crisis assistance.
Two thirds of victims of violent crime think that the best ways to stop people from committing repeat crimes are mental health and addiction treatment and job training.

Towards Shared Safety:

The First Ever National Survey of America’s Safety Gaps

We asked voters which investments were most important to fund: More than four out of five voters prefer public safety investments focused on mental health reentry prevention and victims services, over prisons and jails.

Scaling Safety:

A Roadmap to Close America’s Safety Gaps

This report shows how prevention programs — including some modeled on programs impacted by DOJ’s cuts — offer a pathway to real safety.
Essential safety infrastructure includes responses to address trauma, interventions to prevent violence, mental health crisis response to break the cycle, and reentry programs to increase mobility and stability.