"Cure Violence" assessment begins in Jacksonville this week to assess gun violence problem

The group Cure Violence will come in and assess Jacksonville’s gun violence problem beginning on Tuesday.

The organization, which has implemented programs in Baltimore and Chicago, aims to stop violence by treating it like a disease.

Through the program, trained staff from the community respond to hospitals when violence occurs, to act as mediators against potential retaliation.

It also creates a program to ID people at a high-risk for violence and give them positive alternatives instead.

The City of Jacksonville carved out $7500 in its budget for the Cure Violence assessment. The organization tells Action News Jax it usually takes about a month for the results to come in.

Cox Media Group