The Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Public Safety and Violence Prevention (PSVP) project supports Goal 1 of the DHS Strategic Plan to prevent acts of terrorism and targeted violence by conducting evidence-based research and evaluation to understand an evolving threat landscape.
PSVP focuses on targeted violence and terrorism prevention, human trafficking, and soft target security. This project aims to conduct social, behavioral, and economic science research to meet policy, operational, and public needs to improve the effectiveness of public safety and violence prevention efforts implemented by Federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners through evaluation research, capability development and enhancement, and data development.
PSVP research will enable policy makers and operational end-users, such as first responders and local communities, to make informed decisions in policy and practice while providing prevention programs and practitioners with the tools they need. In doing so, PSVP is able to strengthen societal resistance against drivers of violent extremism and broad awareness of the threat of terrorism and targeted violence.
Social Science Research
S&T conducts social science research to (a) support our understanding of individual motives for engaging in, and disengaging from, violent extremism; (b) develop and assist locally-tailored interventions with local partners; and (c) evaluate the effectiveness of terrorism prevention activities and policies.
Social and behavioral science research is critical for DHS in developing a scientific understanding of how individuals, small groups, and organizations affect prevention, deterrence, threats, targeted violence, interventions, response, resilience, security, and recovery activities. Knowledge of how human beings behave in—and interact with—various socio-economic contexts they inhabit is an essential component of promoting multi-disciplinary research. These challenging tasks require access to a broad set of expertise drawn from the fields of psychology, economics, criminology, political science, sociology, biostatistics, computer science, and other disciplines. Knowledge and findings from this research will be translated into easily digestible products for federal, state, local, and community-based organizations to enable education and awareness to reinforce a whole-of-society prevention approach. S&T performs innovative research in support of the DHS Countering Terrorism and Targeted Violence Strategic Framework and the National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism.
Centers of Excellence
The DHS National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education (NCITE) Center of Excellence, led by the University of Nebraska at Omaha, focuses on developing solutions to terrorism prevention and counterterrorism research to safeguard the nation’s people, infrastructure, and economy, including solutions that can help prevent terror attacks by countering the radicalization of people and their mobilization to violence.
DHS Prevention Resource Finder
DHS in collaboration with 17 federal partners launched the Prevention Resource Finder (PRF) website in March 2023. The PRF is a comprehensive web repository of federal resources available to help communities understand, mitigate, and protect themselves from targeted violence and terrorism. DHS’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships launched the site in coordination with the White House and DHS Office of Public Affairs.
NEW Featured Content
- Prevention Program Sustainability Associated Determinants: A Literature Review, Version 1.0 (NCITE Digital Commons) (November 2023)
- Criminal Justice Interventions for Preventing Radicalisation, Violent Extremism, and Terrorism: An Evidence and Gap Map (Campbell Collaboration, Vol. 19, November 2023)
- DHS FY2020 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grantee Evaluations Final Report | Homeland Security (September 2023)
- DHS FY2020 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grantee Evaluation: Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Site Profile (September 2023)
- DHS FY2020 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grantee Evaluation: Bay Area Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) Site Profile (September 2023)
- DHS FY2020 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grantee Evaluation: Life After Hate Site Profile (September 2023)
- DHS FY2020 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grantee Evaluation: McCain Institute at Arizona State University Site Profile (September 2023)
- DHS FY2020 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grantee Evaluation: University of Denver’s Colorado Resilience Collaborative (CRC) Site Profile (September 2023)
- Trends in the Return and Prosecution of ISIS Foreign Terrorist Fighters in the United States (August 2023)
- A Directory of Threat Assessment Models (August 2023)
- Reframing Human Trafficking Awareness Campaigns in the United States: Goals, Audience, and Content (Frontiers in Public Health, August 2023)
- Review of Prevention Programming Undertaken by Allies Abroad to Identify Promising Practices Report (March 2023)
- Countering Violent Extremism (CVE): Diversion Program – Assessment Tools to Support Secondary and Tertiary Intervention for Violent Extremism Report (April 2020)
Program and Activity Fact Sheets
- Best Practices for Reintegration and Rehabilitation Programming Fact Sheet (September 2023)
- Blue Campaign Program Evaluation Activity Fact Sheet (August 2023)
- CP3 Public Safety Violence Prevention Program Evaluations Activity Fact Sheet (August 2023)
- Evaluate Current Threat Assessments and Threat Management Activity Fact Sheet (August 2023)
- Evaluate Prevention Programming and Identify Best Practices Undertaken by Allies Abroad Activity Fact Sheet (August 2023)
- Evaluation of Soft Target Security and Prevention Activity Fact Sheet (August 2023)
- Future of Flood Insurance Evaluation Activity Fact Sheet (August 2023)
- Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fact Sheet (June 2023)
- Soft Target Crowded Places Landscape Assessment Research Roadmap Fact Sheet (August 2023)
- Terrorism and Prevention and Radicalization: Campbell Systematic Reviews Activity Fact Sheet (August 2023)
Human Trafficking
- A Quasi-Experimental Intervention Trial to Test the Efficacy of a Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign: The Blue Campaign (Journal of Human Trafficking, June 2023)
Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Evaluations
- Designing TVTP Pre- and Posttests (May 2023)
- Comparative Analysis of CT/CVE Policies: USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Sweden, and North Macedonia (HSAJ, Vol. 18, May 2022)
- Targeted Violence: A Review of the Literature on Radicalization and Mobilization (April 2022)
Reintegration and Rehabilitation
- Practitioner Guide for the Provision of Trauma-informed Care to Women and Children Exiting Violent Extremist Conflict (June 2023)
- Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Women and Children Returning from Violent Extremist Contexts: A Rapid Review to Inform Program and Policy Development (June 2023)
- Person-centered Outcome Brief (March 2023)
- Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Women and Children Returning from Violent Extremist Contexts: A Rapid Review to Inform Program and Policy Development (Terrorism and Political Violence, March 2023)
- Reintegration Framework Best Practices Report (March 2023)
- Supporting Women and Children Returning from Violent Extremist Contexts: Proposing a 5R Framework to Inform Program and Policy Development (Terrorism and Political Violence, March 2023)
Systematic Reviews
- Mental Disorder, Psychological Problems and Terrorist Behaviour: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Campbell Collaboration, Vol. 18, August 2022)
- Is Radicalization a Family Issue? A Systematic Review of Family-Related Risk and Protective Factors, Consequences, and Interventions Against Radicalization (Campbell Collaboration, Vol. 18, July 2022)
- What are the Effects of Different Elements of Media on Radicalization Outcomes? A Systematic Review (Campbell Collaboration, Vol. 18, June 2022)
- Online Interventions for reducing Hate Speech and Cyber Hate: A Systematic Review (Campbell Collaboration, Vol. 18, May 2022)
- Cognitive and Behavioral Radicalization: A Systematic Review of the Putative Risk and Protective Factors (Campbell Collaboration, Vol. 17, July 2021)
- Multiagency Programs with Police as a Partner for Reducing Radicalization to Violence (Campbell Collaboration, Vol. 17, May 2021)
- Police Programmes that Seek to Increase Community Connectedness for Reducing Violent Extremism Behaviour, attitudes and beliefs (Campbell Collaboration, Vol. 16, September 2020)
- Counter-Narratives for the Prevention of Violent Radicalization: A Systematic Review of Targeted Interventions (Campbell Collaboration, Vol. 16, August 2020)
Community Resilience/Soft Target Security
- COVID-19 Vaccine Early Skepticism, Misinformation and Informational Needs among Essential Workers in the USA (MDPI, Vol. 18, November 2021)