The Problem of Violence Let's begin, as Mark Rosenberg of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests, by describing something of what we know about violence. Violence is the intentional use of force to harm a human being. Recent statistics further suggest that both the proportion and number of violent deaths are increasing.
Violence calls for preventive as well as punitive action.
A public health approach to violence, Rosenberg tells us, begins with a scientific assessment of epidemiological data, to identify patterns and risk factors. In fact, the data show, most homicides are not related to any other felony. Most often, alcohol is involved, and a firearm is present. An argument starts about something. It escalates, it flares.