Why Experts Fear the Drop in N.J. Gun Violence Could Reverse this Summer

Community-based violence intervention programs are a key component in reducing and preventing gun violence across the state, advocates, academics and state officials say.

No statewide data points to a direct correlation between a reduction in homicide rates and the work of these programs. But recent data from the state shows the programs have contributed significantly to a reduction in the number of people who were shot across New Jersey. 

In 2023, 924 people were shot in the state, a 13% reduction compared to 2022, according to a recent report from the attorney general’s office. Last year, 788 people were shot, further reducing the number of shooting victims in New Jersey, the report says. 

Fatal shootings are down 40% in New Jersey over the last four years, and in the past two years the state has seen the total number of shootings “reach an all-time low,” Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement to NJ Spotlight News.

“These substantial decreases can be attributed to a multi-pronged approach that builds upon the courageous and dedicated work of our law enforcement officers to also include over $120 million of investments in community violence intervention — programming that puts trained professionals at critical points of intervention like the hospital bedside and on the streets, preventing further violence and victimization,” Platkin said...

Violent crime rates and homicide rates have also been down nationally and in New Jersey over the last couple of years due in part to “historic investments” made by the Biden administration and states putting money into violence prevention, according to Daniel Semenza, an associate professor at Rutgers University.

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