5. a. The Attorney General shall establish an Office of Violence Intervention and Prevention in the Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance in the Department of Law and Public Safety under the supervision of either a Director or Chief of the Office of Violence Intervention and Prevention. The office shall promote and facilitate the performance or provision of violence intervention and prevention services set forth in section 3 of P.L.2023, c.167 (C. 52:4B-60.6) and manage and oversee the State‘s violence intervention and prevention work. The office’s responsibilities shall include:

(1) managing and overseeing violence intervention and prevention programs maintained and operated by the department, including, but not limited to, any hospital-based or community-based violence intervention program;

(2) developing, and supporting the effectuation of, policies and projects related to violence intervention and prevention, including, but not limited to, a Statewide infrastructure of violence intervention and prevention services;

(3) assisting and advising community-based programs and local entities in their development and implementation of violence intervention and prevention programs and strategies, including, but not limited to, promoting, supporting, and facilitating, through the provision of training, guidance, and technical assistance, community-based violence intervention and prevention programs that adhere to or incorporate a public health approach to public safety, identifying best practices and evidence-based interventions, and recommending programs and services to be supported by local governing bodies which address community violence;

(4) developing or providing support for the development of a network of community-based organizations and health and mental health providers within the community that offer outreach that supports communities and individuals who experience or are at risk of experiencing community violence;

(5) supporting school-based opportunities to incorporate violence intervention and prevention strategies that address community violence;

(6) promoting the use of peer support services, such as credible messengers or other individuals with lived experience to serve as mentors or role models for individuals who are at risk of engaging in criminal activity or who have a high risk of involvement in violence;

(7) identifying, developing, and prioritizing approaches to violence intervention and prevention that are trauma-informed and promoting solutions that are supportive of and incorporate mental health services; and

(8) establishing partnerships with institutions of higher education and research centers to identify and develop tools for evaluating and measuring the effectiveness of violence intervention and prevention strategies and partnering on grant applications studying or implementing the same.

b. The office may apply for and accept on behalf of the State any grants from the federal government or any agency thereof, or from any foundation, corporation, association or person, and may comply with the terms, conditions, and limitations thereof, for any of the purposes of the office. Any money received may be expended by the division, subject to any limitations imposed in the grants, to effectuate any of the purposes of the office upon warrant of the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting of the Department of the Treasury on vouchers certified and approved by the director.

c. The Attorney General may establish a local, county, or regional structure for the execution of violence intervention and prevention services set forth in this section.

L.2023, c.167, s.5.