Page 41 - Violence Prevention Through the Engagement of Violence Producers

THE CSJP III VIOLENCE INTERRUPTION PROGRAMME

It was determined at the beginning of the VIP that the treatment of the young persons
who showed an interest in changing their lifestyle would be facilitated by the CSJP III using

its case management approach. This approach embraces the Risks, Needs Responsivity
model in which the Community Case Management Officer (CCMO) plays a central role

in the identification of risks and needs. In order to identify risks and needs, the CSJP III risk
assessment procedures require the administration of an instrument with ten risk factors

across four domains as well as the identification of protective factors. The results of the
assessment inform the content of the Treatment Plan for the individual. For communities

in the VIP but not included in the CSJP III, the VIP would engage Outreach Officers to
facilitate the provision of treatment services.

CHANGING COMMUNITY NORMS

Under the standard Cure Violence practice, a VIP is expected to take actions to change
community norms that support violence. This would be done primarily through:

• Engaging the community residents (leaders-formal and informal, high risk youths,
parents, faith leaders) and other stakeholders (service providers, etc), to collectively

convey the message that violence should not be viewed as normal and that it is
behaviour that should and can be changed;

• Engaging residents to respond to every shooting by voicing their objection to it;
• Mobilizing and organizing community residents to form groups to tackle violence;

• Promoting positive norms by preparing and distributing reading materials and
organizing events to convey anti-violence messages

These activities express an “anti-violence” tone and strategy and, as we shall see later, this

strategy encountered particular challenges.

USE OF DATA TO INFORM STRATEGY
Cure Violence places a great emphasis on data – the collection and analysis of data

in order to inform strategies. It was envisaged that the Jamaica VIP would emphasise
the use of data and that it would gather, analyse and use data (especially shootings

and homicides) to inform strategies at the parish and community level, as a basis for
providing policy recommendations to the Ministry of National Security. The data gathering

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