Candace Hester, PhD, shares what drives her work as principal researcher at the American Institutes for Research, where she leads the evaluation of policies and programs that address root causes of harm and promote safety, dignity, and well-being for communities impacted by structural inequities. Support from the Kaiser Permanente Center of Gun Violence Research and Education will enable Dr. Hester’s evaluation of the Coalition to Advance Public Safety (CAPS). CAPS is led by the Community Based Public Safety Collective, Cities United, the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention, and the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform. The coalition works with mayors, community-based organizations, and leaders to scale up and bring greater cohesion to cities’ community violence intervention ecosystems, with the goal of reducing gun homicides and nonfatal shootings.
