Cure Violence rises to No. 10 spot on list of top global NGOs
Cure Violence is ranked 10th in NGO Advisor’s 2018 report of the Top 500 NGOs in …
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Below are the current independent evaluations of the Cure Violence model:
Trinidad and Tobago (Port of Spain) – Arizona State University and the Inter-American Development Bank
This report presents a comprehensive evaluation of the Cure Violence initiative implemented in Trinidad and Tobago from July 2015 to August 2017. It describes the evaluation’s methods and findings and includes three main components: a process evaluation, impact evaluation, and cost-effectiveness analysis. The process evaluation revealed that local staff successfully implemented some of the key elements of the Cure Violence model in a number of distressed and violent communities in the Port of Spain area. The impact evaluation, based on a series of quasi-experimental designs using multiple independent data sets, found significant and substantial reductions in violence, calls to the police for violent incidents, and gunshot wound admissions in a hospital located near the intervention. Based on these analyses, the report concludes that Project REASON reduced violence in the treatment area. Findings from the cost-effectiveness evaluation showed that Cure Violence cost, on average, approximately US$3,500 to US$4,500 for every violent incident it prevented. Given the profound costs of violence in both human and economic terms, these estimates provide hope not only that violence can be prevented, but also that effective solutions for preventing violence may be affordable.
Highlights
- 45% reduction in violent crime rate
- 23% reduction in calls for police
- Reduction in hospital admissions
- “They really are suggestive of a strong impact.” Nicholas Corsaro, Evaluator
- “Our study actually showed really powerful effects.” Ed Maguire, Lead Evaluator
Read the Full Trinidad Evaluation
New York Evaluations (NYC-Cure) – John Jay Research & Evaluation Center
John Jay College of Criminal Justice Research and Evaluation Center has conducted an extensive, independent evaluation of the Cure Violence program in New York City with support from the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the New York City Council, New York State’s Division of Criminal Justice Services, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Highlights
37% to 50% reduction in gun injuries in two communities- 63% reduction in shootings in one community
- 14% reduction in attitudes supporting violence, with no change in controls
- Increased confidence in police and increased willingness to contact police
- 18% reduction in killings across 13 Cure Violence sites, while matched controls had a 69% increase (2004-2013)
Learn more about the John Jay New York City Evaluation (summary)
Read all of the reports on Cure Violence from John Jay REC
Philadelphia Evaluation – NIJ/Temple University/John Jay
A 2017 evaluation of the Cure Violence program in Philadelphia found significant reductions in violence associated with the program.
Highlights
- 30% reduction in shootings (comparing the 24 months before the implementation of CeaseFire to the 24 months after implementation)
- In the five hotspot areas, CeaseFire was associated with a statistically significant reduction in both total shootings (victims of all ages) and shootings of individuals between the ages of 10 and 35.
- Although in some models comparison groups also showed reductions in shootings, these reductions were either not statistically significant or not as large as those in the CeaseFire target areas.
Download the full Philadelphia evaluation report
Baltimore Evaluation – CDC/Johns Hopkins
A 2012 CDC/Johns Hopkins evaluation of 4 communities in Baltimore.
Highlights
- 56% reductions in killings and 34% in shootings in one community
- Reductions across all 4 communities
- 276 conflict mediations
- Reductions spread to surrounding communities
- Norms on violence were changed – people in program site were much less likely to accept the use of a gun to settle a dispute; 4 times more likely to show little or no support for gun use.
Learn more about the Baltimore evaluation (summary)
Download the full Baltimore evaluation report
Chicago Evaluation – NIJ/Northwestern*
A 2009 NIJ/Northwestern University evaluation analyzed 7 communities in Chicago.
Highlights
- 41% to 73% reductions in shootings
- 40% reduction/cooling of hot spots
- 100% reductions in retaliation homicides in 5 of 8 communities
- “Overall, the impact of the [Cure Violence] Program is significant and moderate-to-large in size.”
- “In every program area there was a substantial decline in the median density of shootings following the introduction of [Cure Violence].”
Learn more about the Chicago evaluation (summary)
Download the full Chicago evaluation report
Simulation Study – UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program, Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, and University at Albany
A simulation study was conducted based on aggregated data to simulate violent victimization of a representative sample of 5% of NYC’s population and police force to determine the effectiveness of Cure Violence, hot-spot police interventions and the combination over a 30-year period.
Highlights:
- 13% reduction in violent victimization seen with the implementation of Cure Violence only
- Two violence interrupters and one outreach worker would contribute to a 24% reduction in homicide rate; compared to a 150% increase in police force for 20 years to achieve the same result
- Cure Violence and hot-spots policing together shows a reduction in violent victimization by 19%
Link to study
News report on simulation study
Chicago Evaluation – McCormick Foundation/University of Chicago/UIC*
A 2013 McCormick Foundation/University of Chicago/UIC quantitative and a qualitative evaluation of the 2012/2013 Cure Violence Illinois covered two Chicago neighborhoods.
Highlights
- 31% greater decrease in killings
- 1% greater decrease in total violent crimes (including domestic violence),
- 19% greater decrease in shootings
- Cure Violence high-risk participants reported decreased involvement in crime and violence,
Learn more about the McCormick Evaluation (Summary)
Download the McCormick Qualitative Evaluation
Download the McCormick Quantitative Evaluation
New York Evaluation – BJA/Center for Court Innovation
In New York City, a 2010 BJA/Center for Court Innovation evaluation analyzed the program in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
Highlights
- 20% lower shootings compared to control
- More than 100 mediations involving more than 1,000 people
- Average monthly shooting rates decreased by 6%, while increasing in the three comparison areas between 18% and 28%
Learn more about the New York evaluation (summary)
Download the full New York evaluation report
* Programs in Chicago were formerly called CeaseFire and are referred to by this name in the evaluations.
