This White Paper is first in a series called "Hope on the Horizon" published by the Peace Alliance Foundation. It details effective, cost saving programs that are already in place to combat violence in American society.

Why is an infrastructure for violence prevention and reduction necessary? Imagine that violence is a disease that infects society, like smallpox. Up until the late 1960s, smallpox was infecting up to 15 million people annually and killing 2 million. With a structured vaccination program that was supported by governments, health professionals, and society at large, smallpox was declared eradicated in 1979 by the World Health Organization.

What if the same principles could be applied to the disease called "violence"? We have known and proven methods to reduce and prevent violence: programs that teach conflict and anger management so that conflict does not escalate to violence, skill-building programs, counseling programs, etc.

An infrastructure, encompassing both the public and private sectors, is necessary to design and disseminate information about policies and programs that reduce and prevent violence in the United States.