Gun Violence Prevention

LWV Chicago’s Chicago in Focus lecture series, hosted in partnership with the Union League Club, recently featured a talk on gun violence prevention. We discussed Lake County's Gun Violence Prevention Initiative (GVPI) with guest speakers Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart and GVPI Chair Sara Knizhnik.

Following an increase in gun violence in Lake County, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office was awarded $1.5 million in funding for the Lake County GVPI, which takes a public health approach to violence prevention.

Utilizing an adaptation of the Cure Violence Model (CVM), which maintains that violence is a learned behavior that can be prevented using disease control methods, the program works primarily with high-risk youth aged 14 to 25. It includes regular individual interactions, conflict mediation, and community mobilization.

Watch the full lecture above.

We gathered at the Union League Club (65 W Jackson Blvd) on February 21. The event was also presented virtually.

The Chicago in Focus lecture series seeks to highlight and explore the most important issues facing Chicagoans today.