Travis County’s new gun violence program shows early promise, officials say

Over the last four years, county officials, the district attorney’s office, law enforcement and public health leaders have worked in a collaborative effort to implement a multifaceted strategy to reduce the number of gun violence deaths.

In September, the Travis County Commissioners approved a contract with Ascension Seton to pilot a hospital-based violence intervention program, or HVIP, that aims to preemptively prevent acts of violence.

The intervention program identifies victims of violence and their families in order to provide trauma-informed care, offering wraparound services during hospital stays and following up post-discharge.

“​​The goal of this program is to prevent victims from engaging in retaliation,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown said. “... Data shows that people who are victims of interpersonal violence have a higher risk of being reinjured or committing a crime themselves."

Brown said that though it was too early to fully measure the success of the pilot, a similar program launched in California has found that participants of the program were 70% less likely to be arrested again and 60% less likely to have future criminal involvement altogether.

Within the first six months of the HVIP pilot, the Ascension team has responded to over 350 victims of violence. Of these violence-related injuries, 15% were related to gun violence.

In December, commissioners approved an additional contract for the prosecutor-led gun violence prevention program.

The program is intended to equip those at risk of committing acts of gun violence with skills aimed at reducing their likelihood of future firearm-related incidents.

Studies have shown that these programs can reduce recidivism rates by half, according to a news release from the district attorney. The program is expected to begin servicing individuals sometime this summer.

Sherwynn Patton, a restorative justice advocate with ATX Peace, said both prevention programs help to address the “root causes driving violence in our community,” such as food insecurity, mental health challenges and health equity needs.

The city of Austin also operates a community-based violence prevention initiative through its Office of Violence Prevention—another component of a broader, multipronged strategy to address gun violence.

A spearhead for prevention efforts in the community, Austin City Council member Jose Velasquez emphasized the need to be proactive rather than reactive.

Velasquez’s brother died in 2009, the result of a gunshot wound.

“It's a pain that never fully goes away,” he said. “... I can say that many of us who have suffered this kind of loss wish we had resources like [community-based violence intervention] years ago, because we know that these programs work. They prevent violence before it happens, they reach people before it's too late, and they are making a difference right here in Austin, Texas.”

He noted that proactive efforts have resulted in the prevention of 52 local shootings and provided personalized support for over 280 high-risk individuals. He added that in the last two years, since launching the Office of Violence Prevention programs, there has been a 42% reduction in gun-related activities.

Quote of note

“We only get the community that we deserve when we build it together,” County Commissioner Jeffrey Travillion said.