News · 29 June 2026

Scotland halved murders by treating violence as disease

Scotland, once called Europe's murder capital, drastically cut violent crime by shifting its approach to a public health problem. In 2008, the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit held a court session for 85 rival Glasgow gang members to confront the impact of their actions. This new strategy, focusing on prevention and intervention, helped reduce the homicide rate by 56% in Glasgow and 38% across Scotland over the following decade.

By BriefTea Editorial · 29 June 2026 at 14:15

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