Violence is a chief contributor to the burden of premature death, injury, and disability among youth in the State of Rhode Island. Due to the pervasiveness of this problem, the issue of youth violence prevention has become a public health priority.

In September of 2004, the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) was funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to spearhead a youth violence prevention initiative. HEALTH’s charge from the CDC is to develop statewide capacity and leadership in the field of youth violence prevention, in order to better prevent violence perpetration toward or among Rhode Island youth.

Two key stakeholders in HEALTH, the Safe Rhode Island Violence and Injury Prevention Program (SAFE RI) in the Division of Disease Prevention and Control and the Office for Family, Youth and School Success (OFYSS) in the Division of Family Health, will collaborate on this two-year planning initiative. Using a data-driven, public health approach, we will guide future efforts to reduce the incidence of youth violence, thereby improving the health of RI children and adolescents.

Project Goals

Staff and convene the Child and Adolescent Violence Prevention Advisory Committee (CAVPAC), to help guide and shape the STOP It program.
Together with the CAVPAC Develop a State Report Card on youth violence.

Establish objective grading criteria for the report card which will grade the state on the incidence of various types of youth violence outcomes, and the percent of youth reporting shared risk and protective factors for those outcomes.
In addition, the Report Card will include an inventory of statewide youth violence prevention programs and state, school, and other policies that address the outcomes and risk/protective factors identified by the STOP It initiative

Assess the level of commitment and readiness of external partners to fully engage in youth violence prevention efforts.
In collaboration with the CAVPAC, a 5-year Rhode Island Strategic Plan for Youth Violence Prevention has been developed.
Letter from the Director
Report on the State of Youth Violence in Rhode Island
Executive Summary
The Rhode Island Report Card: Signals for Success