HIGH POINT, N.C. — High Point has now recorded a total of 11 homicides this year but it's the kind of violent crime a city non-profit works to stop before it starts.
High Point Community Against Violence (CAV) Executive Director Jim Summey said the organization has helped hundreds of people turn away from a life of crime over the years.
"We work with people who have violent crime problems and by doing so, we're an organization that's not sitting around talking about something, we're doing it," Summey said.
CAV is not a police organization but the High Point Police Department's Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF) partners with the nonprofit. High Point Police selects violent crime offenders for the program.
"It's helped me stay out of prison. I haven't been to prison in three years," Reggie Campbell said.
CAV offers everything from job training to transportation to help with living expenses all in the name of rehabilitation. However, the people selected for CAV choose for themselves whether or not to join.
"I (had) to make a change, this is life or death," Trevor Hines said.
High Point Police Chief Travis Stroud said he was a skeptic of the program when it started in the late 1990s but said it's been successful.
Now, other law enforcement agencies come to his department to learn more about it and to bring it to their areas.
"Four out of five (people) do not re-offend," Stroud said, "I think the numbers are 80 plus percent that doesn't re-offend, which is awesome. That's a pretty good number that isn't out there doing what they were doing before and are finding a different path."
However, that's not always the case for those who choose not to join CAV.
There are about 1,228 people listed as being contacted by the police department's VCTF about joining CAV, including those who chose to take advantage of the program.
About 17 percent of those people do go on to commit more crimes. About two percent die as a result of violence.
A High Point man named Justin McQueen was offered to join the program in 2017. On Sunday, Police said he shot two women--one in the face and the other in the head.
Campbell said he and others are proof that the program can work.
"If you are tired of going back and forth to prison and tired of just being out there doing whatever, then take advantage of the opportunity that's in front of you," Campbell said.
High Point Police crime data shows an overall decrease since the program began.
Chief Stroud said he's sickened by the 11 homicides so far this year but believes prevention will require more volunteers for programs like CAV.