In 2020, the Baltimore City Council, led by then-Council President Brandon M. Scott, passed the Biennial Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan Ordinance 20-364B. This law directs the Mayor to develop a comprehensive anti-violence plan that employs a public health approach – implementing strategies that are trauma-informed, reduce harm, and heal individuals and communities.
Following extensive collaboration across City and state agencies, community-based organizations, and public feedback from residents, Mayor Scott released Baltimore’s first-ever Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan (CVPP) on June 25, 2021. This five-year plan began the work of building a foundation for long-term public safety, with an ultimate goal of sustained and coordinated reductions in violence through the implementation of an all-hands-on-deck approach.
View the Original Plan
July 2021 Fact Sheet
Since then, the City has engaged residents, partner agencies, neighborhood associations, businesses, and other stakeholders to implement this holistic violence prevention strategy, ensure accountability, and align public agencies and community partners— the whole weight of Baltimore—in the broader pursuit of increased public safety with more justice and less harm.
In addition to the pillars outlined in the original Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan, the Biennial Update also includes, for the first time, a specific Youth Justice pillar focused on uplifting the safety of Baltimore’s young people, investing in their future, and paving the way for their – and our city’s – success. While the ideas outlined in this plan align with the original CVPP, the pillar and section numbers have been altered. The recommendations contained in this section build on existing work and outline opportunities for the City to further prioritize youth-specific needs based on feedback from young people.