AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – For the victims and families of gun violence, life may never get back to normal.
The Augusta Giving Back program is hoping to give a second chance to anyone willing to take it.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office started the program in 2019 to help those at high risk of committing or being a victim of gun violence.
This program has already shown some positive results in other cities across the country.
In Boston, the city says they’ve seen a 63 percent drop in youth homicides since this program started. In New Orleans, a 32 percent drop in homicides among those they’ve identified for the program. Chicago claims the program has helped them achieve a 23 percent reduction in overall shootings.
Augusta Giving Back is looking to match or exceed those rates.
“We can’t arrest our way out of crimes,” said Lateisha Mosquera, criminal intelligence director, RCSO.
She says Augusta Giving Back is a chance for those affected by gun violence to advance in the future.
“They do stand the chance of committing a crime or becoming a victim again, so with this intervention that we offer them, hopefully, we can find out where they are right now and kind of meet them where they are right now and provide the services,” said Mosquera.
The program partners with different community resources to provide job services, mental health assessments, and education.
“Somebody does care even though I was an offender in the past they’re helping to ensure that I’m productive in Richmond County in the future,” she said.
You may see officers in your neighborhood going door to door wearing bright orange shirts seeking to help out victims and offenders.
“We all have to take some accountability for what’s going on in our county,” said Mosquera.
Mosquera is hoping to continue to gain success stories from the people the program helps. Augusta Giving Back is open to business owners or stakeholders who want to help and get involved.
“A success story to us will mean those individuals won’t be arrested again. They are going down different avenues. We have some that have gone to trucking school, some have gone to barber school,” she said. “We can only do this as a community with everyone’s help.”
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