Making the Case for Domestic Violence Prevention Through the Lens of Cost-Benefit
A Manual for Domestic Violence Prevention Practitioners
(and the State and Local Policy-Makers They Present to)
Time as a Factor in the Realization of Benefits
There is another important concept relevant here. This is the concept that some of a program’s effects are seen immediately, while other effects of that program appear over time. Time becomes an important factor in measuring the benefit of any social program, especially a prevention program. Short-term effects can be measured almost immediately, while mid and long-term effects cannot. Indeed, it takes time to realize many of the key effects of a prevention program.
A public education program provided the first quarter of one year may show some effects immediately, however those effects may increase or decrease over the next several months.