PROGRESS Dialogue on Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Data, Analysis, and Policy

May 12, 2025

PROGRESS organized a dialogue at the University of Maryland focused on data, analysis, and policy.  This convening brought together researchers, policymakers, and representatives from community-based organizations (CBOs) across Baltimore and the National Capital Region—including Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, the District of Columbia, and Northern Virginia.

Throughout the day, participants engaged in four structured dialogue sessions exploring:

• What CVI data is currently being collected at neighborhood and individual levels;
• What kinds of information community-based experts need but aren’t receiving;
• How researchers and policy analysts can partner with CBOs to improve data collection and interpretation;
• How to translate CVI data into effective, community-informed policy and practice.

Key themes included the need for more accessible and up-to-date data, greater community ownership of the research process, and the growing role of qualitative methods, social media, and artificial intelligence in CVI research.  Participants discussed how existing data systems operate, what gaps persist, and how the disconnect between data, policy, and lived experience can be repaired through collaborative research alongside those most impacted by gun violence.