How Can Social Workers Play a Role in Police Related Gun Violence Prevention?
Faculty Mentor
Samuel Rosenberg
Major/Area of Research
Social Work
Description
INTRODUCTION: There has been much spoken about in modern times regarding gun violence and how it affects the safety of our communities, however, there has not been much conversation in terms of the role social workers play in the prevention, treatment, and advocacy in connection with how gun policy dictates our current level of safety. In this study, the reader will be exposed to preventive measures that can be taken to stave off gun violence, possible social work-related treatments that can help alleviate post-gun violence trauma/anxiety, how social workers can put their advocacy into action to assist in reforming gun laws to reflect an equitable level of safety for everyone.
METHOD: This paper is based on data collected via peer reviewed articles via JMU Libraries, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Oxford Academic, Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being, The Lancet, American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, as well as a news excerpt from CBS News, New York and some other articles that covered the impact social workers stand to have regarding the positive transformation of law enforcement and suggests through an evidence-based practice approach, that social workers can have a major positive impact on the prevention, treatment and advocacy regarding gun violence. The articles also suggest that more law enforcement training regarding the methods in which officers approach direct citizen interactions are in order if we’d stand to have an impact on the lowering and/or eradication of gun violence. The articles also cover how social work oversight may assist in ushering in a new renaissance of kindness and mutual respect among officers as well as with the civilian population they serve. The first article kicks off the conversation with university experts who have an educated talk about how to approach gun violence and why social work oversight is necessary in order to assist in alleviating the issue.
CONCLUSION: Within this study, covered was the fact that in order to combat police gun violence, we must involve the professionals who specialize in dealing with the very thing that dictates individuals' decision making on a daily basis, and that is the state of their mental health at the moment they encounter an officer of the law. These professionals are social workers. The oversight that social workers can provide to law enforcement may be able to stem the tide in terms of the prevention of further crimes that could have been avoided with a person-centered approach. Also covered was the importance of the aforementioned oversight. Without the oversight of professionals who understand how to manage individuals who are dealing with crises, police gun violence is almost always a certainty. These professionals are individuals who have gotten through rigorous training, class hours and licensing requirements in order to become said professionals. This profession is called social work. Social workers are well versed in dealing with all kinds of crises. Whether it be with a single adult client, a child, a teen, or a family, we are adept at handling whatever situation that requires an empathetic touch that eases tensions and brings everyone closer to solutions for the issue at hand. Another aspect in this thesis that was covered was something that social workers are uniquely qualified to create, which are crisis intervention teams. Crisis intervention is one of the most utilized aspects of the social work profession, especially in neighborhoods that possess a lack of resources and are heavy on trauma and lack of safety. So, it would not be a far stretch to state that social workers should be at the forefront of creating the policies that will provide these task forces with all the resources they need to complete each encounter with the dignity, worth and self-determination of the individuals they will be working with.
How Can Social Workers Play a Role in Police Related Gun Violence Prevention?
INTRODUCTION: There has been much spoken about in modern times regarding gun violence and how it affects the safety of our communities, however, there has not been much conversation in terms of the role social workers play in the prevention, treatment, and advocacy in connection with how gun policy dictates our current level of safety. In this study, the reader will be exposed to preventive measures that can be taken to stave off gun violence, possible social work-related treatments that can help alleviate post-gun violence trauma/anxiety, how social workers can put their advocacy into action to assist in reforming gun laws to reflect an equitable level of safety for everyone.
METHOD: This paper is based on data collected via peer reviewed articles via JMU Libraries, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Oxford Academic, Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being, The Lancet, American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, as well as a news excerpt from CBS News, New York and some other articles that covered the impact social workers stand to have regarding the positive transformation of law enforcement and suggests through an evidence-based practice approach, that social workers can have a major positive impact on the prevention, treatment and advocacy regarding gun violence. The articles also suggest that more law enforcement training regarding the methods in which officers approach direct citizen interactions are in order if we’d stand to have an impact on the lowering and/or eradication of gun violence. The articles also cover how social work oversight may assist in ushering in a new renaissance of kindness and mutual respect among officers as well as with the civilian population they serve. The first article kicks off the conversation with university experts who have an educated talk about how to approach gun violence and why social work oversight is necessary in order to assist in alleviating the issue.
CONCLUSION: Within this study, covered was the fact that in order to combat police gun violence, we must involve the professionals who specialize in dealing with the very thing that dictates individuals' decision making on a daily basis, and that is the state of their mental health at the moment they encounter an officer of the law. These professionals are social workers. The oversight that social workers can provide to law enforcement may be able to stem the tide in terms of the prevention of further crimes that could have been avoided with a person-centered approach. Also covered was the importance of the aforementioned oversight. Without the oversight of professionals who understand how to manage individuals who are dealing with crises, police gun violence is almost always a certainty. These professionals are individuals who have gotten through rigorous training, class hours and licensing requirements in order to become said professionals. This profession is called social work. Social workers are well versed in dealing with all kinds of crises. Whether it be with a single adult client, a child, a teen, or a family, we are adept at handling whatever situation that requires an empathetic touch that eases tensions and brings everyone closer to solutions for the issue at hand. Another aspect in this thesis that was covered was something that social workers are uniquely qualified to create, which are crisis intervention teams. Crisis intervention is one of the most utilized aspects of the social work profession, especially in neighborhoods that possess a lack of resources and are heavy on trauma and lack of safety. So, it would not be a far stretch to state that social workers should be at the forefront of creating the policies that will provide these task forces with all the resources they need to complete each encounter with the dignity, worth and self-determination of the individuals they will be working with.