A common assumption shapes American crime policy: that the people most exposed to crime — victims, and the officers who respond to it — want the harshest punishment in return. 

The evidence says otherwise. 

Crime victims, in survey after survey, favor rehabilitation over punishment, roughly two to one. And now officers are saying something similar. In a new survey from the Alliance for Safety and Justice, 8 in 10 officers said things like community violence intervention would make their jobs safer. 

Officers want neighborhood programs. They want clinicians on certain 911 calls. They want job training, therapy, and addiction treatment instead of long prison sentences. Why is that the view from inside law enforcement? And if it is, why haven’t we built the systems to match?

Harvey Santana is the Michigan director for the Alliance for Safety and Justice. He’s based in Detroit. He spoke about all this with The Metro’s Robyn Vincent.

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One of the most popular programs in the City of Detroit is community violence intervention. It’s a policy that tasks neighborhood residents with intervening in disputes to reduce gun violence and mitigate harm. Many say it’s working. 

That’s because it’s attributed with helping to significantly reduce homicides — which continue to fall in Detroit. 

Now, the city is trying to institutionalize community violence intervention work and programs like it. That’s why Detroit created a new department: The Office of Neighborhood and Community Safety. 

What is the scope of the office’s responsibilities? And, how does it believe it can target and alleviate the roots of violence?

Teferi Brent is the office’s first director. He spoke with The Metro’s Robyn Vincent.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro