(The Center Square) – The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, chaired by Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, is celebrating a reduction in gun violence and firearm deaths across the state.
The drop, the agency says, can be partially attributed to diversionary programs like those funded through the state’s Violence Intervention and Prevention grants.
The administration says gun violence is down 42% since Gov. Josh Shapiro’s term began in 2023. Gun deaths are down 38%. This is consistent with nationwide trends reported by the FBI in which there has been a decline after the surge of violence seen during the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The numbers, which include a 12% decrease in 2024 alone, the administration hopes will bolster support for funding PCCD initiatives in the 2025-2026 state budget. Shapiro’s proposal includes a $10 million increase to the state’s Building Opportunity through Out of School Time, or BOOST, programs.
The hope is that spending on prevention will lead to reduced costs in adjudication and incarceration. Shapiro’s budget proposal also includes a 4.5% increase for the Department of Corrections, even as it works to cut costs with the controversial closure of Rockview State Correctional Institute and Quehanna Boot Camp.
The commission highlighted Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, both of which have seen lower homicide rates. Pittsburgh has hit an eight-year low while Philadelphia is “approaching levels last seen in the 1960s.”
In both cases, violence prevention programs have certainly played a role. Programs are able to quantify the number of people they’ve served and how they’ve served them. For instance, Philadelphia program Beyond the Bars partners with dozens of other programs to provide services to more than 1,100 students and has more than 55 music spaces throughout the city. More nebulous is identifying the number of lives altered or saved by what didn’t happen.
“The progress we’ve made in reducing homicides across Pennsylvania is not an indication that our work is done—it is evidence that our strategies are working,” said Davis. “Just as you don’t stop medical treatments when symptoms improve, we must not become complacent in the fight against gun violence. Continued and increased investments are essential to ensuring every Pennsylvanian can be safe and feel safe in their community.”
In Pennsylvania’s largest city, it isn’t just gun violence that has gone down. The city has seen drops in rape and other violent crimes according to the Philadelphia Police Department.
