Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence

Experts shed light on preventing violence

Anonymous — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 19:02:47 +0000

Experts shed light on preventing violence Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 06/27/2022 - 13:02

Doug McPherson

As the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at CU Boulder turns 30, its founder and current director share thoughts on the center’s legacy

It was 1992 when Delbert Elliott, who had been researching criminology and delinquency for three decades, decided it was time to apply his research into reducing violence and promoting positive youth development. That was the birth of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV).

For the last 30 years, the CSPV has been a pioneer in studying and identifying what works preventing school shootings and other violence and championing the use of evidence-based programs backed by the highest scientific standards. To date, it has successfully led over 75 school and community initiatives in Colorado, nationally and internationally.

“Developing the center was a critical turn in my career,” Elliott says. “I wasn’t satisfied with just the research and I wanted to be closer to what was happening out in the field, to help those who were working in the field. The center opened up a lot of opportunities for me.”

At the top of the page: A student memorial after a mass shooting at a high school in 2019 (CityofStPete/Flickr). Above: Delbert Elliott (left), CSPV's former director, and Beverly Kingston (right), CSPV's current director.

Elliott, who retired in 2018 at the age of 85, says the CSPV accomplishment that means the most to him was developing the Blueprints for Violence Prevention program (now dubbed Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development). It added scientific standards for evaluating the evidence of a program’s effectiveness, and it included an expert review process along with certification for programs that met the standard. The program originally focused on violence and drug use outcomes but it has since expanded into mental and physical health, self-regulation, educational achievement and other positive developmental outcomes.

“I do like the range of interests that are covered now in the blueprints, it’s a good and healthy thing to expand into those new areas,” he says. “I think the blueprints has the greatest potential to make an impact in the field because we know that these are programs you can count on because we know they work.”

Elliott says the idea for blueprints hit him when he realized those who were giving grants didn’t know what worked. “A lot of times the grant money was just based guesses or on political patronage,” he says.

He adds that he felt good about the transition when he retired in 2018. “I’m very proud of Beverly (Beverly Kingston, the CSPV’s director since 2012)—she’s done a terrific job.”

Kingston, who worked with Elliott for 20 years, calls him a “man of great honor and integrity,” adding:

“Honestly, he’s a hero, that’s what he is. He mentored so many of us and he saw a vision of how science could be translated into practice. His legacy is exponential because of his willingness to take time to help others. This university is about how brilliant minds can work across disciplines to solve our most pressing problems and Del’s career is a strong example of that.”

Kingston adds that as a researcher Elliott was learning critical information that could be applied to preventing violence “and we’ve since learned that by putting evidence-based programs into practice we could reduce violence by 30%. His impact is so big and meaningful—he is a true a pioneer in the evidence-based programs movement.”

Both Elliott and Kingston believe the U.S. can prevent school shootings by instituting the blueprint and evidence-based programs to scale.

“Ideally schools and communities will implement blueprint programs across three tiers—universal prevention programs that can support all students and staff, programs for students with identified risks, and intervention programs for those youth that are already engaged in negative behaviors,” Kingston says. “And we have to ensure those programs are implemented well.”

She says another CSPV program, Safe Communities Safe Schools, helps schools create positive climates, prevent bullying, develop bystander reporting and response systems, better share information about a person's concerning behaviors, and develop behavioral threat assessment and management processes. “We know when these kinds of initiatives are in place, they can avert and prevent violence,” Kingston says.

Kingston adds that the CSPV has learned from school and other mass shootings that there were missed opportunities to thwart shooters’ plans.

Event Details

“Addressing Gun Violence Within a Health-Grounded Approach: Advice from Practitioners and Researchers”

Date: June 28

Time: 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Location: Zoom

“We began to see the missed opportunities to intervene. In the Arapahoe High School shooting, we found that there were 27 missed opportunities. And in the Parkland (Florida) shooting, there were 69 missed opportunities. So we know we need to build systems to help avert the violence.”

Elliott also emphasizes prevention.

“Of course, we want to be prepared to respond (to a shooting) but in looking at prevention, we’ve learned a lot about red flags and oftentimes someone knows what’s about to take place so it’s about intervening early enough to prevent it,” he says. “Safe2Tell (the anonymous reporting program) came out of Columbine (the shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado) and now other states are doing that, too. That program has really made a difference for an advanced warning and it has prevented a significant number of attacks and suicides as well.”

Elliott also points to programs such as life skills training, family therapy, bully prevention, family-based programs and drug prevention as ways to prevent violence. “We know they’re successful. But even with the best programs, we know we’re not going to stop every incident—and that’s sad—but we have to continue the work. We know early socialization is key. Kids aren’t getting the care of love and discipline they need.”

Kingston says violence prevention is about “creating social systems—at home, at school and in the community—that support the healthy development of our kids.”

The CSPV is planning a celebration for its 30th anniversary this fall.

Ahead of that, faculty experts from CU Boulder, including Kingston, and the CU Anschutz Medical Campus will join together in a webinar from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on June 28 moderated by Chancellor Philip DiStefano focused on the public health impacts of gun violence. The event—free and open to faculty, staff and students—will include questions and answers. Information for this event is here.

As the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at CU Boulder turns 30, its founder and director shares thoughts on the center’s legacy.

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Center wins $1 million grant to improve K-12 school safety

Anonymous — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 15:57:05 +0000

Center wins $1 million grant to improve K-12 school safety Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 12/31/2019 - 08:57

Cay Leytham-Powell

New grant will allow CU Boulder researchers to formally evaluate Colorado’s school safety protocol and training program

Colorado’s approach to managing safety threats in schools is thought of as one of the most advanced in the nation. And yet it has never been formally evaluated—until now.

With the help of a nearly $1 million grant, the Colorado School Safety Resource Center (CSSRC) and the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado Boulder will evaluate the Colorado Threat Assessment and Management Protocol, a guidance and training tool that schools use to deal with potential safety risks.

The researchers will use the grant to look at whether it’s feasible for schools to use the protocol as designed, ensuring it’s doing what it’s supposed to do: Keep students safe from violence.

Sabrina Arredondo Mattson, a research associate with the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, is one of the lead investigators for the grant.

“If we have an evidence-based threat assessment, instrument, protocol and training—and they are being implemented as intended—then we expect to see improved school safety and thwarted attacks,” said Sabrina Arredondo Mattson, a research associate with the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, which is in the Institute of Behavioral Sciences, and one of the lead investigators for the grant.

The Colorado Threat Assessment and Management Protocol was developed in 2011 using what were, at the time, the latest federal recommendations and best practices. From the beginning, the goal was to provide schools with a way to identify, assess and work with students who might pose a security risk or safety threat.

Since its development, though, little research has been done into how well educators use the protocol.

The CSSRC and the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence see this grant as an opportunity to improve and examine—for the first time—the protocol that impacts tens of thousands of students every year.

“We want to make sure that our evidence-based threat assessment protocol is feasible and adopted by educators. The research will also evaluate satisfaction and cultural relevance, and assess how responsive the protocol is to the needs of students. We want to make sure that educators feel like they can implement it with confidence,” said Arredondo Mattson.

This grant is funded through the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance’s STOP School Violence Act of 2018 and is the result from a collaboration between the CSSRC (which is part of the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Colorado Department of Public Safety), CU Boulder and the University of Northern Colorado.

The grant funds the project for three years. During that time, the researchers plan to update and refine the protocol and pilot it with five schools. From there, they plan to use the feedback they receive to evaluate the updated materials with an additional 30 schools around the state.

The Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence has “good partners across Colorado institutions which will ensure we learn together as part of this work,” said Arredondo Mattson.

“It’s nice to see that we set this project as a goal and we’re on our way towards achieving it by receiving this grant. We’re pleased with our progress.”

New grant will allow CU Boulder researchers to formally evaluate Colorado’s school safety protocol and training program

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Center for Study and Prevention of Violence featured in PBS documentary

Anonymous — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 22:10:10 +0000

Center for Study and Prevention of Violence featured in PBS documentary Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/20/2016 - 16:10

Black and Latino Coloradans are disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system, according to a new Rocky Mountain PBS documentary, A Sentenced Life. The documentary analyzes the impact of incarceration for minority populations through personal stories and research.

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