Weine, Stevan, and Chloe Polutnik Smith, William Braniff, Max Erdemandi, Liberty Day. 2019. "What Should Program Designers Consider to Successfully Develop and Implement a Public Health Approach to Preventing Violent Extremism?" START, College Park, Maryland. June. https://www.start.umd.edu/pubs/UIC_MPAC_START_SafeSpaces_ProgramDesigners_June2019.pdf
Publication Information
The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) evaluated the Muslim Public Affairs Council’s (MPAC) Safe Spaces program and found that the program as implemented was not successful, but some aspects showed potential. The full NIJ report is available and scholarly reports forthcoming. This research brief, written in collaboration with START, shares key lessons learned to help guide other programs and policies. A public health approach to preventing violence needs to be grounded in an appropriate and acceptable model and also include a feasible plan for how community-based organizations can implement the program under real-world conditions.