When the World Health Organization declared violence is preventable in 2002, it marked a significant shift in the global understanding of violence. With the advancement of research on violence, studies began to reveal that addressing the root causes of violence could significantly reduce violent incidents. The Social-Ecological model summarises these root causes beyond individual traits associated with violence (e.g. exposure to violent discipline as a child), to relationships (e.g. exposure to parental conflict in the home), community characteristics (e.g. lower social cohesion) and societal factors (e.g. income inequality). The model illustrated that the majority of violent behaviour was not random or inevitable; it was learned behaviour and a symptom of failing social structures. In response, social interventions aim to develop human capital through reducing the risk factors of violence and mobilising protective factors through job training and creation, life skills development, parenting initiatives, access to therapy and conflict resolution initiatives among other interventions.
Evidence around the world has shown both effective and promising results of the impact of social interventions on violence reduction. As summarised in a 2017 Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) study, several social interventions have been backed by meta-evaluations – the highest level of evidence there is – as being effective in reducing violence: life skills programmes, parenting initiatives, cognitive behavioural therapy, restorative justice programmes, and social norms programmes among other promising interventions.
Early childhood social interventions aim to modify children’s social skills, emotional regulation, and exposure to violence in order to impact future violent behaviour. A 2023 meta-analysis of 346 Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) across 22 countries showed that behavioural interventions directed at parents successfully reduced violent parenting behaviours towards children with benefits lasting up to two years. Locally, the Jamaica Home Visit Programme, which was delivered to parents by community health workers, demonstrated dramatic benefits in the children of the intervention group: adults 22 years after intervention had 67% lower odds of serious violent behaviour compared to the control group. Even teachers were found to modify violent behaviour towards children when trained using the Irie Classroom Toolbox, a Jamaican violence-prevention teacher-training programme. In a single, blind cluster RCT, incidents of violence against children by teachers were significantly reduced both immediately post-intervention and at one-year follow-up.
Life skills development is another key social intervention in early childhood. Wilson and Lipsey pooled the results of 249 studies investigating the impact of social, emotional and life skills and found that these programmes reduced violence-related outcomes on average by 25%-33%. Jamaica’s very own Child Resiliency Programme (CRP), an after-school programme for high-risk children in primary school with severe behavioural problems prioritises the use of life skills training and other mechanisms. Evaluation of the CRP showed reduced aggression and fighting, improved literacy and even increased resilient attitudes in the children.
Social interventions not only benefit individual violent behaviour, but also interrupt serious community violence. In Trinidad & Tobago, the IDB and Arizona State University evaluated a local violence prevention programme designed to address homicides, shootings and assaults in 16 communities in Eastern Port of Spain. Project REASON involved detecting and interrupting potentially violent conflicts through mediation, treating those at highest risk for involvement in violence with wraparound support such as job training or referrals or mental health treatment and public education events to promote group/community norm changes. Extensive quasi-experimental evaluation showed a 45% reduction in violent crime rate and a 39% reduction in gunshot wound admissions to the nearest hospital.
What Jamaican communities need now is coordinated, multi-level and evidence-based social investment for sustained violence reduction. It is in this context that Project STAR (Social Transformation and Renewal) started working in communities in 2022. Importantly, Project STAR seeks to address the root causes of crime and violence at multiple levels in a whole of society approach by focusing on the improvement of key social indicators and the overall improvement of social outcomes for communities. Recognising that each community is different, Project STAR’s model involves in-depth consultation with the communities themselves to identify, agree and coordinate the action and strategies. Project STAR uses data and evidence-based solutions to drive change at the community level.
In summary, both local and international studies support the effectiveness of social interventions in reducing violence. In Jamaica, while there are several ongoing promising social interventions, many have yet to undergo rigorous evaluation to communicate their impact. What communities need now is long-term, sustained and evidence-based social investment. These social interventions must also be complemented by strengthened laws, effective law enforcement, economic growth and policy reforms. Solutions solely targeting violence producers and not the contributory socio-economic conditions will do little to stem the ongoing cycle of violence in Jamaica.
Written By: Saffrey Brown, Project Director, Project STAR
Kaodi McGaw, Public Health Researcher
