The methodology behind this tool recognizes that public safety outcomes emerge from interconnected systems rather than a single institution or intervention--and that people cannot be reduced to data points. Violence and safety are shaped by how systems intersect with lived experience, community conditions, and access to care, opportunity, and support. For this reason, the tool is designed to look across systems while remaining attentive to the human realities behind the data.
The Social Return on Community (SROC) calculator estimates the value created by community-based safety strategies by comparing their total costs to the social and economic benefits they generate over time. These benefits may include reductions in violent incidents, avoided justice system and healthcare expenses, and longer-term gains such as increased employment, improved educational outcomes, and enhanced quality of life. While these outcomes are expressed through structured estimates, they are intended as proxies for impact--not measures of human worth.
All costs and benefits are calculated across multiple years and adjusted to present value so they can be compared consistently. At the same time, the methodology is designed to be careful and transparent about what the data can--and cannot--show. It uses measured assumptions and adjustment factors that reflect uncertainty, shared influence across systems, and how impacts may change over time. Users can explore different scenarios to better understand how results vary, without treating any single outcome as definitive.
Importantly, the calculator does not attempt to quantify everything that matters. Elements such as trust, dignity, healing, and community cohesion are central to safety, yet they extend beyond what numbers alone can capture. For this reason, the results should be understood as supporting tools for decision-making, not as substitutes for community knowledge, lived experience, or ethical judgment.
