The city of Richmond, California created a nearly decade-old program that tackles rampant gun violence by paying young men up to a grand to stay out of trouble.
In the video, PBS’ NewsHour talks to local man Rohnell Robinson about how the city’s program has come to benefit him and pay him for getting his life back on track.
NewsHour reported that the program pays some young men up to $1,000 a month for as long as nine months if they achieve personal goals.
The program — Office of Neighborhood Safety — has been scrutinized by critics who believe it is paying bad people to stop behaving badly.
The program was launched in November of 2007 and is now facing budget cuts because of the city’s piling monetary woes.
The East Bay Times reports that the program has had its budget cut by about 40 percent since 2013. The Office of Neighborhood Safety was funded just under $612,000 in its first year and $830,000 in its second.
