Cure Violence envisions a world without violence. Cure Violence is guided by a clear understanding that violence is a health issue, and that individuals and communities can change for the better, that community partners and strategic partnerships are keys to success and that rigorous, scientific, professional ways of working are essential for effectiveness. We want to change the mindset of everyone away from, so-called “bad” people and toward understanding violent behavior as people with health problems. If we can convince more people to properly understand violence as a disease, then we can treat it accordingly by stopping the epidemic, reversing it and curing it. In short, the mission of Cure Violence is to reduce violence globally using disease control and behavior change methods and that mission took off in 2000.

Cure Violence began (as CeaseFire Chicago) in 2000 with the goal of reducing shootings and homicides in Chicago. From 2000-2008, Cure Violence (then CeaseFire Chicago) focused its activities in the United States, starting in Chicago but quickly expanding to Baltimore, New York, New Orleans, Oakland, Puerto Rico and other sites. In 2008, Cure Violence began its first international adaptation and, international programs have been added in Iraq, South Africa United Kingdom, Kenya, Honduras and Colombia .

Cure Violence employs street and hospital level intervention techniques based on a public health approach. Cure Violence works by interrupting the transmission of retaliatory violence through mediation and conflict resolution techniques, facilitating behavior change by individuals identified as high-risk for committing violence through connections to resources and ongoing support, and organizing community members to change social norms towards a non-violent culture.

Cure Violence does the incredible work through employing Credible messengers. Credible messengers are people that are influential with the individuals at highest risk of committing shootings. They are able to build trusting relationships with the drivers of violence in a community, due to their own past experiences on the street.