The mission of the James and Jennifer Harrell Center for the Study of Family Violence is to develop and integrate knowledge with best practices to strengthen community responses to family violence. In addition to its director, associate director, and advisory board members, the Center has seven senior research scientists who provide consultation in carrying out the goals of the Center.

The Harrell Center was created through a private endowment by James and Jennifer Harrell. It is located at the University of South Florida’s (USF) College of Public Health. The Center collaborates extensively with other colleges on campus such as the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, community agencies such as Champions for Children, REACHUP, and The Spring. The Center also collaborates with local, state, national and international agencies and other universities.

The Harrell Center is designed to conduct and translate research into usable information for practitioners, to provide education and training, and to serve as a resource and advocacy center for the public and professionals. The Center provides an education site for students and involves an interdisciplinary faculty from public health, social work, mental health, medicine, aging, and other fields.

The James and Jennifer Harrell Center for the Study of Family Violence current research explores such issues as the prevention of violence including the prevalence of family violence in South and Central America, correlates of juvenile violence in Hillsborough county, evaluation of programs that provide legal and social services to family violence victims and their children, and the effectiveness of court and offender treatment programs. The Harrell Center is involved in research on the local, national and international level.

The Center provides support for the educational mission at the College of Public Health. Faculty located at the Center offer graduate level courses in various aspects of family violence.

The Center also provides continuing education with particular focus on training for law enforcement, health, mental health and social service providers. The Center provides web-based training courses for health professionals and family mediators in responding and to intimate family violence. The comprehensive content includes types of family violence, prevalence, risk factors, causes, consequences, as well as information on abusers, victims and interventions.

The Center provides resource information including research information, references, videos, and literature. These materials are available to the public and professionals locally, nationally and internationally.

The Center builds upon successes in Florida, especially in Hillsborough county where the center is located. As a community, the county collaborates to connect services in order to provide the most effective responses to family violence for victims and perpetrators.

Almost 30 agencies provide these and other services:

• Community Education
• Health and Mental Health Services
• Job Services» Legal Intervention
• Medical Services
• Offender Intervention Services
• Social Services
• Victim Services