Despite recent decreases in firearm-related homicides, Maryland has grappled with how to meaningfully decrease firearm fatalities and shootings. The Maryland Violence Intervention and Prevention Program Fund (VIPP) was established in 2018 under House Bill 432 to support localities in implementing and evaluating the efficacy of evidence-based and evidence-informed violence reduction strategies focused on gun violence. Administered by the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy (GOCPP), VIPP supports approaches that include:
Nationally recognized models such as hospital-based violence intervention programs,
street outreach (e.g., Cure Violence), cognitive behavioral therapy, group violence
intervention, and crime prevention through environmental design;
Adaptations of existing models; and
Locally developed approaches informed by research, best practices, and/or
community experience
The purpose of this mixed-methods evaluation was to conduct:
Implementation evaluations of the programs included in the FY 2024 cohort, seeking to understand the programs’ operations and document fidelity to intended plans
Impact evaluations in select sites to look at changes in community indicators of firearm-related incidents.
We conducted implementation evaluations of eight of the ten programs and impact evaluations of three programs.
