Law & Justice studies receives grant to study violence prevention in Pittsburgh schools and community
Law & Justice studies receives grant to study violence prevention in Pittsburgh schools and community
March 5, 2026
Prof Szkola and Prof Johnson building community in the workshop with Pittsburgh staff: (left to right: Darlene King of OBB, Kasey Macedo of City of Pittsburgh, Danielle King of OBB, Markeya Lowry of OBB, Prof Szkola, Prof Johnson and Myah Lowry-Fowler of OBB.
Rowan University’s Department of Law & Justice Studies has received a $249.998.50 grant from the Fund for a Safer Future, a fiscally sponsored initiative of Global Impact to support a partnership with non-profit Operation Better Block (OBB). Led by faculty members Dr. Jason Szkola and Dr. Joseph Johnson, the project will evaluate the processes and outcomes of OBB’s Safe Passage School and Community Violence Prevention Program in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The program is designed to train youth to detect and interrupt the potential for violence while changing norms around violence inside of schools and building new identities dissociated from violence.
“We have the opportunity to evaluate the important, community grounded work Safe Passage is doing every day to understand the mechanisms contributing to the program’s success,” said Szkola, lead on the project. “Dr. Johnson and I are grateful for the support and excited to begin our study.”
While violence prevention research and associated evaluation exist in schools, many programs focus only on changing the level of violence within the schools or changing the behaviors of individuals rather than the community at large. Designed and launched in 2021, Safe Passage is distinct in its broader community focus and operates on the premise that violence is contagious and spreads if left unchecked. The program actively engages youth as contributors to school safety and community wellbeing.
“I see on a day-to-day basis the changes with our youth and the challenges that continue,” said Dr. Danielle King, Safe Passage director and violence prevention advocate. “Collaborating with OBB and Rowan researchers marks a critical new chapter with enhanced and systematic data collection.”
During the three-year study, the evaluation team will analyze program processes and implementation, examine outcomes for participants and revise data collection and monitoring reports. The goal is to identify the most influential program components and recommendations to help inform future investments in replication programs.
Safe Passage operates annually with 60 students across six schools in Pittsburgh.