Research about AVP
Below is a selection of research reports and studies on AVP. Further
reports can be found on the AVP wiki website.
AVP wiki website
The AVP wiki has current information on AVP news, research and workshop dates.
The research material covers General AVP Research, Prisons, Youth, and Africa.
New material is added as it becomes available, and contributions are always welcome.
It includes:
Research on AVP
Introduction to AVP
AVP in Rwanda (PDF format-464KB)
"I still believe there is good in all people: an evaluation of the Alternatives to Violence Project in Rwanda"
A publication by the African Great Lakes Initiative, Nov 2003
To settle many of the low-level cases arising from the 1994 genocide in Rwanda,
the Rwandan government has chosen to use a truth and reconciliation process
using the Gacaca system of traditional village arbitration courts.
AVP workshops have been used in the training of Gacaca judges and administrators,
as well as for community elders and the general Rwandan community.
It also has a carry-on effect on the mundane conflicts that arise in the family and the community.
This report evaluates the effectiveness of the program in Rwanda.
AVP Evaluations and Studies
on the AVP/USA website
AVP in Delaware (PDF format - 256KB)
"The AVP in Delaware: A Three-year Cumulative Recidivism Study" by Marsha Miller and John Shuford
Recidivism statistics were developed for a random sample of Alternatives to Violence Program
(AVP) participants from 1993 to 2001 at the Delaware Correctional Center, the state's largest
correctional institution, which houses male inmates with the most serious offenses. Three
hundred men were randomly chosen for the sample; 175 had been released at least one year prior
to data collection, 162 had been released two years prior, and 148 three years prior. One, two,
and three year cumulative statistics are provided for them. At the end of three years following
release, only 11.5 percent of the AVP participants had new felony convictions and only half of
these were for violent offenses.
The AVP sample was compared to a group of 34 men randomly selected to be the control group
for an evaluation of the Life Skills Program at DCC. The AVP sample consistently performed
better each year for three years both in recidivism and in the rate of return to prison for any
reason. These striking results suggest that AVP is effective in reducing the likelihood of
recidivism.
AVP Aotearoa/NZ Evaluation (PDF format - 863KB)
"An evaluation of AVP workshops in Aotearoa/New Zealand" by Brian Philips
published by AVP Aotearoa, June 2002
An appraisal of the effectiveness of the work done by AVP workshops,
analysing qualitative and quantitative data from end-of-workshop evaluations
and a national mailout survey.
One finding was that 94% of survey respondents found their AVP workshop
experience as being helpful.
Walrath Evaluation (PDF format - 72KB)
"Evaluation of an inmate-Run Alternatives to Violence Project:the impact of
inmate-to-inmate intervention"
by Christine Walrath, John Hopkins University
examines the impact on anger and confrontation of completing a
basic level AVP workshop in a correctional setting.
|