RSVP began in 1996 when the San Francisco Sheriff's Department (SFSD) brought together a consultation group of 40 victim advocates, deputy sheriffs, ex-offenders, ex-gang members, religious leaders, and individuals from across the political spectrum to develop a programme to address recurring violent behaviour. The impetus for this work was the limited success experienced with rehabilitation programmes for substance abuse and therapeutic communities. The goal was to create a holistic programme to 

• Reduce recidivism rates for domestic and general violence
• Involve victims in the program planning and implementation
• Engage community groups in the development of programmes in which ex-offenders repair the harm caused by their violence and participate in violence prevention efforts in their communities.

In 1997, the programme started as a pilot project involving 62 men with a record of violent offenses. Because of its positive results, the project was incorporated into the ongoing programme and budget of SFSD, and continues to grow.

RSVP is a mandatory programme for male offenders with a record of violent offences. Many of the participants have committed domestic violence. Based on the premise that violence is learned behaviour that can be unlearned, the programme immerses the offenders in a 12-hour-a-day, six-day-a-week environment in which they receive counselling, explore reasons for resorting to violence, and learn alternatives to violent behaviour.

Once each week, victims come into the unit to tell the offenders how violence impacted their lives. RSVP also offers the opportunity for family members or victims to meet through a video link with programme participants to talk about how the crime has impacted them and to provide the offender opportunities to express remorse. The family members and victims use a video link from a community centre, offering them a safe alternative in which they can consider together the possibility of further contact and perhaps reconciliation with the offender.

In the post-release phase of the programme, RSVP participants are required to make amends to the community and to do public awareness work. This includes participating with survivors of violence in community theatre and other programmes to present messages about the impact of violence and alternatives to violence. A community resource centre provides supervision and counselling for offenders as they reintegrate back into their community.

The centre also offers educational classes to allow participants to complete their high school education. Graduates of the programme also have the opportunity to participate in an internship programme where they learn the skills needed to work as counsellors and mediators. Many have been hired to work in the programme after completing the internship.

As a restorative justice programme, RSVP strives to be victim-focused and maintains services for victims as well. The Survivor Restoration programme helps victims to:

• Navigate social service and community agencies to stabilize their financial and living situations
• Confront the reality of their victimizations and work though the personal and emotional impacts of the violence
• Use their experience to assist other victims along the healing journey

The SFSD has built a coalition of community organisations to develop opportunities for offenders to make amends to the community. This includes acting as mentors for at-risk youth, organizing community activities to promote non-violence, and working in the theatre groups mentioned above.

In 2000, the SFSD hired Dr. James Gilligan, currently head of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Pennsylvania, to evaluate the effectiveness of RSVP.  The evaluation compared one-year violent reoffending rates of 102 RSVP participants with a matched group of offenders who did not go through the programme. The study concluded that there had been: 

• A 42% decline in reoffending for participants spending four weeks in RSVP
• A 51% decline for participants spending 12 weeks in the programme
• A 80% decline for participants spending 16 weeks in the programme

Along with the recidivism research, RSVP has also witnessed a dramatic decrease of violent incidents in the dorm. Anecdotal evidence from officers assigned to the RSVP dorm suggests that what they learn there has led to a more peaceful working environment and even to benefits in their interactions with their families.

Resources Used:

Fillichio, Carl. 2004. “Violence, Victims and Communities: A Story of Restoration.” The Public Manager. Winter 2004-05: 45-48.

Hennessey, Michael. 2005. Presentation on the Power of Restorative Justice. Drum major Institute for Public Policy. Marketplace of Ideas Series. The Harvard Club, New York City. May 16, 2005. Online transcript.

San Francisco Sheriff's Department. RSVP: Resolve to Stop the Violence.

Schwartz, Sunny. 2005. "Life Skills Project." The Journal of Correctional Education. 56(2):115-123.

Schwartz, Sunny, Michael Hennessey and Leslie Levitas. 2003. "Restorative Justice and the Transformation of Jails: An Urban Sheriff's Case Study in Reducing Violence."  Police Practice and Research. 4(4):399-410.




Lynette Parker
December 2005