WATCH: City Promotes Program Created To Reduce Shootings, Recidivism

NEW HAVEN, CT — City officials announced the expansion of the Program for Reintegration, Engagement, Safety, and Support gun violence prevention initiative Monday. The program will be funded with a $2 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance.

The P.R.E.S.S. program was first launched in March 2022 with a focus on young adults and adults returning from incarceration with a current or prior conviction of a firearm-related offense or individuals and gang/group members who are identified to be at higher risk of involvement with firearms.

The goal of the initiative is to reduce shooting incidents and recidivism and to increase successful reintegration into society through a coordinated, whole-systems, multi-agency approach with evidenced-based practices, supports, services and supportive case management. The new federal grant will allow the program to expand and enhance its existing services with life coaches; a workforce development / career resource specialist; and a family case manager that provides support and services to co-parents, partners, and children of P.R.E.S.S. clients; among other items.

New Haven Department of Community Resilience Executive Director Carlos Sosa-Lombardo and , Special Projects Director, Dijonee Talley spoke about the successes of the program.

"I'm happy to be here because I talk about it a lot," Police Chief Karl Jacobson said, noting with programming, "crime's starting to go down."

The P.R.E.S.S. initiative is led by the Office of Violence Prevention within the New Haven Department of Community Resilience which partners with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Connecticut, aka, Project Safe Neighborhoods, Connecticut State Department of Correction, Connecticut Court Support Services Division, New Haven Police Department, Project M.O.R.E., Connecticut Violence Intervention Prevention Program, Project Longevity, University of New Haven, National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, and 4-CT, among others.