Addressing Violence by Advancing Equity

Research has linked income inequality to several social problems, including increased crime and homicide rates. Studies in public health and psychology suggest that income inequality can produce an unstable and hostile social environment where individuals have feelings of status insecurity, stress, and anxiety, and those socialized in unequal environments are skeptical of notions of justice and fairness, which promotes hostility and violence. Recent research linked income inequality to mass shootings and found counties with growing levels of income inequality are more likely to experience mass shootings. Reducing income inequality requires a multi-level approach, and so does violence prevention. Advocating for an increased minimum wage, tax reform, and family supports can improve income equality and prevent violence.

Kwon, R., & Cabrera, J.F. (2019). Income inequality and mass shootings in the United States. BMC Public Health 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7490-x.

Research demonstrates that supporting individuals and families with short-term or emergency financial assistance can reduce their risk of exposure to violence. One study of individuals who experienced income instability and connected with a homelessness prevention center for financial assistance found that violent crime arrest rates within a year of receiving immediate funds are 51% lower than those who did not.

Palmer, C., Phillips, D. C., & Sullivan, J. X. (2019). Does emergency financial assistance reduce crime? Journal of Public Economics, 169, 34–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2018.10.012.

Research indicates that food insecurity is associated with many forms of violence, including gun injury and death. Reducing this risk by addressing food insecurity can be done through mutual aid networks, food banks, organizations, and state and federal policy. Individuals can support food banks through donations. Neighborhoods can establish community fridges or mutual aid points. Organizations can continue to deliver needed resources to individuals, families, and communities. Healthcare providers and mental health supports can assess for food insecurity and offer patients and clients with information and connections. State and federal legislators can implement programs and policies that reduce food insecurity and remove barriers to create equal access and opportunity to fulfill basic needs.

Ali, A., Broome, J., Tatum, D., Fleckman, J., Theall, K., Chaparro, M.P., Duchesne, J., & Taghavi, S. (2022). The association between food insecurity and gun violence in a major metropolitan city. Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, 93(1), 91-97. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35234710/.

Microfinancing provides small amounts of funding in the form of credit, savings, or financial incentives. It reduces financial strain, which in turn reduces stress on individuals and families. This makes microfinancing a potential protective factor for exposure to violence. Researchers have explored its success in low-resource countries and recommend adapting it for use within the United States. Some of the possible adaptations include matched savings instead of small loans, paying for acquisition of job skills, and engaging with multiple sectors to support gender equity and safety planning for those in abusive relationships. Additional research can further support adaptation and implementation within the United States.

Matjasko, J.L., D’Inverno, A. S., Marshall, K. J., & Kearns, M. C. (2020). Microfinance and violence prevention: A review of the evidence and adaptations for implementation in the U.S. Preventive Medicine, 133, 106017-106017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106017.

Lifelong barriers to opportunity and higher wages increase poverty, and research indicates that poverty is a significant risk factor for violence. Organizations can uplift individuals within their communities through workforce development, skill training, and job placement. One such organization is the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, which is a relationship-centered, data-driven, solutions-oriented approach that has been building customized pipeline training for new staff to connect employers seeking talent with individuals seeking opportunity. Learn more about their program and how to bring it to your community through their website.

Research demonstrates that increased financial security leads to well-being by reducing stress, food insecurity, and housing insecurity. Economic supports for families are protective factors against violence in the home, giving them resources, access, and opportunity to thrive. Considerable research exists around the relationship between community measures of home foreclosures and crime levels. Being able to pay a mortgage is an indicator of financial stability and furthers community connection. Without that, families experience a crisis that puts them at greater risk for family violence. Researchers analyzed data around mortgage foreclosures and reports of intimate partner violence to police and found that higher levels of monthly mortgage foreclosures lead to higher levels of domestic violence.

Financial abuse occurs when one partner in a relationship holds power and control over the couple’s collective assets, economic resources, and financial accounts as well as the income and/or expenses of the other partner. This is often framed as violence against women, but financial abuse can happen in any intimate partner relationship. It can further economic hardship, hinder self-sufficiency, and make leaving an abusive partner difficult. Research has found that financial abuse is intertwined with other forms of intimate partner violence and has negative outcomes beyond financial status, including adversely affecting health, well-being, employment, educational attainment, and social relationships. Understanding and identifying financial abuse can further support survivors and end the way violence is perpetuated through systems and structures being used to seek help.

Eriksson, M. & Ulmestig, R. (2021). “It’s Not All About Money”: Toward a More Comprehensive Understanding of Financial Abuse in the Context of VAW. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(3-4), NP1625–1651NP. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260517743547.

The Housing First model is one effective approach in addressing homelessness in individuals who have a serious mental illness or substance use disorder. The focus on providing permanent housing through advocacy and financial assistance enables them to address other challenges, which lends itself to supporting survivors of intimate partner violence, especially those who are parents. The Housing First Model and many similarities with intimate partner violence survivor advocacy and adapting it to achieve safe and stable housing can lead to preventing further exposure to IPV. In fact, researchers found that the 12-month time point, survivors who had joined a domestic violence housing first program reported decreased physical, psychological, and economic abuse, as well as the use of their children against them as a form of abuse.

Sullivan, C. & Olsen, L. (2016). Common ground, complementary approaches: adapting the Housing First model for domestic violence survivors. Housing and Society, 43(3), 182-194. https://doi.org/10.1080/08882746.2017.1323305.

Sullivan, C.M., Guerrero, M., Simmons, C., López-Zerón, G., Ayeni, O. O., Farero, A., Chiaramonte, D., & Sprecher, M. (2022). Impact of the Domestic Violence Housing First Model on Survivors’ Safety and Housing Stability: 12-Month Findings. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221119520.

More than 120 nations provide paid parental leave, and among the most wealthy nations, the United States is the only country that does not provide paid parental leave. In addition to increased equity such a policy would provide, paid parental leave can contribute to protective factors against intimate partner violence. Continuing to provide income to employees who need to take leave due to parental duties strengthens economic supports, reduces family discord, increases egalitarian parenting practices, and promotes child/parent bonding. Several well-respected organizations including the American Psychological Association as well as researchers advocate for paid parental leave. Policymakers at the state and federal level as well as employers can implement such a policy that would positively affect families across socioeconomic levels.

D’Inverno, A.S., Reidy, D. E., & Kearns, M. C. (2018). Preventing intimate partner violence through paid parental leave policies. Preventive Medicine, 114, 18–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.05.024.

Economic stability is a social determinant of health and a factor in exposure to violence. Recent research revealed that pregnancy-associated homicide was considerably higher in states with the greatest income inequality. Addressing this aligns with ways to address overall violence – by examining ways to increase economic stability and reduce financial inequality. Federal policymakers can consider minimum wage policies, tax reform, and student loan debt forgiveness, and those at all levels can invest in communities to create more social cohesion and support as well as improve the built environment.

Dyer, L., Vilda, D., Harville, E., Theall, K., & Wallace, M. (2022). Income Inequality and Pregnancy-Associated Homicide in the US: A Longitudinal, State-Level Analysis. Violence Against Women. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012221120446.

Despite the research that indicates increasing employment opportunities decreases recidivism and by extension crime and violent crime, Louisiana has the highest number of institutionalized barriers making finding employment unnecessarily difficult.  Everyone should have the opportunity to provide for themselves and their family and be thriving members of a healthy community. State lawmakers can end the “prison to poverty pipeline” by removing these burdensome restrictions so that people can rebuild their lives.

Fredericksen, A. & Omli, D. (2016). Jobs After Jail: Ending the Prison to Poverty Pipeline. Alliance for a Just Society The Job Gap Prosperity Series. https://jobgap2013.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/ajs_job_after_jail_report_final_pdf.pdf.

Ramakers, A., Nieuwbeerta, P., Van Wilsem, J., & Dirkzwager, A. (2017). Not Just Any Job Will Do: A Study on Employment Characteristics and Recidivism Risks After Release. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 61(16), 1795-1818. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X16636141.

Lockwood, S.K., Nally, J.M., & Ho, T. (2016). Race, Education, Employment, and Recidivism among Offenders in the United States: An Exploration of Complex Issues in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences, 11(1). https://www.proquest.com/docview/1800742299?pq-origsite=primo.

Denver, M., Siwach, G., & Bushway, S. D. (2017). A new look at the employment and recidivism relationship through the lens of a criminal background check. Criminology: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 55(1), 174–204. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9125.12130. 

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