Precious Lives

Stories about kids, guns and how to stop the violence. Precious Lives, created by 371 Productions, is a 2-year, 100-part weekly radio series about gun violence and young people in the Milwaukee area. The series applies a public health lens to each story to help listeners understand the full scope of the problem: who are the victims and the shooters; how are the weapons obtained; and what can we change about the environment that contributes to violence in Milwaukee?

#038 Precious Lives: Foundation For A Turnaround

WUWM 89.7 FM

Published September 29, 2015 at 1:22 PM CDT

Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern hopes the new Family Justice Center at 6th and Walnut Streets will help families recover from domestic violence.

Our Precious Lives series on children and gun violence in Milwaukee has featured the stories of many individuals and families that have been profoundly affected. We have also introduced you to some organizations that are working to intervene and make a difference in stopping the violence.

But when it comes to the legal system, we might envision the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office playing a narrowly defined role – prosecuting the perpetrators of that violence. But the reality is more nuanced. Kent Lovern has been a prosecutor for 18 years. Today, he’s the chief deputy district attorney for Milwaukee County.

For this week’s installment of Precious Lives, Lovern talks with Brad Lichtenstein of 371 Productions about the view of gun violence from the perspective of the DA’s office.