“Look for your state administrator agency or your local fiduciary and make sure you know them and make sure you know how this funding is being allocated. Make sure that your community has a voice in the development of that city or state strategy.” —Kristen Mahoney, Acting Director Bureau of Justice Assistance at U.S. Department of Justice

“When we think about how we find resources and funding to address violence and violent crime, we have to realize that we’re already paying for it. We’re already paying for this crisis now. ” —Greg Jackson, Executive Director at the Community Justice Action Fund

“Just because something has existed or because it’s the way we’ve always done, it doesn’t mean that it’s right or that it should continue.Best practices are often 20 years old and I would encourage us to start looking at innovative practices.” —Sara Mokuria, Senior Associate at Policy Link

“We’ve actually gotten our court system to rethink community courts, and call them community justice centers, and make an investment in the neighborhoods where crime is likely to happen, and to work with the individuals who are most likely to be victims and perpetrators” —
James Brodick, Director of Community Development and Crime Prevention at the Center for Court Innovation

“Include people from communities in participatory budget making. Let them decide what it is that we want to see in our communities. What kind of resources do we want to see allocated that would be really important? Also when one thinks about understanding what works, thinking through participatory research and participatory data collection is really important.” — Walter Katz, Vice President of Criminal Justice at Arnold Ventures

“Use the information, the great resources that we already have to figure out how to solve that problem and not on a bandaid solution, not to stop the bleeding, but to really heal the wounds underneath so that we have healthier communities where everybody has an opportunity to contribute.” — Karol Mason, President at John Jay College College