FrameWorks and Prevention Institute designed the framing strategies discussed here to help people communicate about community safety during a time when Americans’ perceptions about crime and policing are increasingly divisive and fatalistic. With that in mind, the events of the past several years—the COVID-19 pandemic, uprisings following the murder of George Floyd and dozens of other Black Americans at the hands of police, and the recent rise in other types of gun violence— have also created openings for more productive conversations about how to create safety and address violence within communities.

The purpose of this document is to provide guidance on how to communicate three key terms:

1. Community safety
2. The public health approach to community safety
3. Social determinants of health and safety.