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The City of Birmingham and Jefferson County have launched a new partnership, working with local leadership and law enforcement to decrease violence within their communities.
The Birmingham-Jefferson County Justice Governance Partnership will look into neighborhoods where violence is most concentrated and gather data to understand the area’s vulnerabilities and how to address them for short-term and long-term solutions.
The Justice Governance Partnership facilitates collaboration on implementation and progress tracking. Partner organizations contribute data to create a Justice Audit that measures conditions and highlights needs.
The goal is to develop a Justice Reinvestment Plan that focuses on preventive investments to improve neighborhood conditions and reduce the reliance on expensive emergency responses. The Audit and Reinvestment Plan identifies practical solutions to improve economic conditions, reduce violence and address other risks in underserved neighborhoods.
Birmingham has been searching for ways to address the violence in its city beyond what law enforcement can do, whether it be conflict resolution in schools or hospital-based violence intervention programs. Both of these are testimonies to the role that a community plays in combatting violence.
Birmingham City Councilor LaTonya Tate and Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson co-chair the BJC-JGP. Other members of the JGP Leadership Council include Jefferson County Health Officer David Hicks, Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr, Bessemer District Attorney Lynneice Washington, Jefferson County Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates, as well as representatives from the offices of Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and Sherriff Mark Pettway and philanthropic leaders.
Other parties serving critical roles in the partnership are care providers and researchers from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. The Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama will act as the Local Justice Intermediary for the partnership, overseeing the coordination of data collection across various agencies. They will also collaborate to deliver research and analysis that aids in advancing the partnership’s initiatives.
The partnership comes from the support of the Aspen Institute’s Criminal Justice Reform Initiative which aims to assist local communities with public safety issues by bringing together national experts to influence data-driven, community-focused justice and public safety reform.
Earlier this month, the Birmingham Crime Commission Report, commissioned by Mayor Randall Woodfin, called for an increase in evidence-based strategies for violence reduction and community engagement.
Data-driven solutions prevent misallocated funds and can focus in on providing resources efficiently and effectively. The report noted that one-size-fits-all strategies were not working for Birmingham and were overlooking the need for individualized support in some cases. Ultimately, the report hypothesizes that all initiatives supported by the city should be evidence-based to maintain its resources.
