News / FJP Releases

December 11, 2025 — Fair and Just Prosecution today released a comprehensive issue brief detailing how Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs (HVIPs) can reduce community violence and what prosecutors can do to support their success. The new publication explains how these programs improve long-term health and safety outcomes for survivors of violence and offers prosecutors clear guidance on developing policies that protect patients’ rights, limit harmful law enforcement practices in hospitals, and promote a public health approach to violence reduction.

Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs provide trauma-informed, wraparound services to people recovering from violent injury. These programs help victims stabilize, reduce the likelihood of reinjury, and interrupt cycles of retaliation. Yet their effectiveness can be compromised when aggressive or unnecessary police activity in emergency departments disrupts medical care, violates privacy, or erodes trust in healthcare providers.

“Violence intervention programs save lives, strengthen community trust, and offer people a path toward healing,” said FJP Executive Director Aramis Ayala. “Prosecutors have a vital role to play in helping these programs succeed by ensuring that policing inside hospitals respects patients’ rights and supports the trauma-informed services essential to breaking cycles of violence.”

The issue brief titled “Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs: The Role of Prosecutors,” provides an overview of the evidence showing that HVIPs reduce retaliatory violence, reinjury, and future criminal system contact. It highlights the growing body of research from across the country showing the efficacy of these programs and underscores that locating intervention services inside hospitals reaches victims at a critical moment when support is most effective.

The brief also offers practical recommendations for prosecutors, including:

• Supporting program development and funding in partnership with hospitals and community organizations.
• Encouraging trauma-informed practices through training for both police and prosecutors.
• Developing clear protocols that govern law enforcement access to emergency departments, protect private health information, and safeguard patient property.
• Exercising prosecutorial discretion to prevent the misuse of statements or evidence improperly obtained in hospital settings.
• Strengthening communication and collaboration among hospitals, HVIPs, and law enforcement to ensure that all stakeholders can meet their respective responsibilities without undermining patient care.

As jurisdictions across the country explore evidence-based strategies to break the cycles of violence, HVIPs have emerged as a promising model that advances both public health and public safety. FJP’s new resource equips prosecutors with the tools and policy guidance needed to support these programs and ensure that emergency departments remain safe environments where victims can access care without fear of intrusion or coercion.

Read the full issue brief.