Giving Compass' Take:

• In Patrick Sharkey's book,  Uneasy Peace: The Great Crime Decline, the Renewal of City Life, and the Next War on Violence, he examines the power of local community organizations in reducing crime. 

• How can philanthropists and more prominent foundations do more to support nonprofits that have deep roots in their communities?

• Read more about the role of philanthropy in addressing the criminal justice system. 

Crime rates in urban centers have been on the decline for the past couple of decades. In a new book entitled Uneasy Peace: The Great Crime Decline, the Renewal of City Life, and the Next War on Violence, sociologist Patrick Sharkey seeks to shift the dominant narratives slightly.

The great weapons for fighting crime nationally must be found in an organized, systematized study of these organizations and their most effective methods.

Instead of finding this decline in a systematic cause, Sharkey discovers that this major improvement in crime decline is the result of the combined effort of multiple ordinary people and institutions working at the local level to reduce violence in their own communities.

Read the full article on nonprofits reducing crime by Stacey Egger at Philanthropy Daily