Tucson Boosts Youth Anti-Violence Programs

City partners with national organization to coordinate and fund a range of initiatives aimed at steering young people away from violence.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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The City of Tucson is ramping up efforts to prevent youth violence, recognizing that a large share of homicide suspects are young men in their 20s or even younger. The city is working with the Alliance for Safety and Justice on a new initiative called Scaling Safety to help coordinate and fund a variety of local organizations providing mentorship, counseling, and community-based programs to steer young people away from violence.

Why it matters

Tucson has seen a concerning trend of young homicide suspects, with 46% of suspects last year being 25 or younger, often 18 or 19 years old. The city is taking a proactive approach to address the root causes of youth violence through a coordinated effort across multiple community organizations and programs.

The details

The Scaling Safety initiative brings national support to help fund and coordinate local programs like Boys to Men, which provides mentorship in 24 schools, and Flowers and Bullets, which teaches youth to care for a small farm as a way to cultivate self-care and care for their community. Counselors like Jah Hopkins at Boys to Men give young people a space to work through their emotions and triggers before they lead to violent actions.

  • In 2025, 46% of homicide suspects in Tucson were 25 or younger, often 18 or 19 years old.
  • The Scaling Safety initiative was launched in 2026 to coordinate and fund Tucson's youth anti-violence programs.

The players

Isaac Durgen

A City of Tucson employee who works to de-escalate conflicts with angry young men, drawing on his own past experiences.

Jah Hopkins

A counselor with the Boys to Men program, which provides a space for young people to express their emotions and work through triggers before they lead to violence.

Jacob Robles

A representative of the Flowers and Bullets program, which teaches young people to care for a small farm as a way to cultivate self-care and care for their community.

Regina Romero

The Mayor of Tucson, who is committed to building a safer city through long-term, systemic approaches.

Alliance for Safety and Justice

A national organization that is providing support and funding to help coordinate Tucson's youth anti-violence programs through the Scaling Safety initiative.

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What they’re saying

“I remember the first thought in my mind was 'Oh, I got a gun', and I went home. I got the gun. I met up with these other teenagers. We all had guns. We had beef with other neighborhoods, and we were all in that car with our guns, and we're going to go over there. We're going to go because we knew it was them, right?”

— Isaac Durgen, City of Tucson Employee (KGUN9)

“They have the opportunity to express their emotions, what's going on, to talk about things that are maybe triggers. This is a way we kind of get them before the violence intercedes.”

— Jah Hopkins, Counselor, Boys to Men (KGUN9)

“I've noticed that when you introduce these concepts of like, caring for caring for something, caring for the land, kind of trickles into caring for those around you, right?”

— Jacob Robles, Flowers and Bullets (KGUN9)

What’s next

The city plans to continue expanding and coordinating its network of youth anti-violence programs through the Scaling Safety initiative, with the goal of building long-term, systemic approaches to creating a safer community.

The takeaway

Tucson's proactive approach to addressing youth violence through a multi-pronged effort involving mentorship, counseling, and community-based programs demonstrates a commitment to tackling the root causes and providing young people with positive alternatives to violence.