NCJ Number
213042
Journal
Family Violence & Sexual Assault Bulletin Volume: 21 Issue: 2/3 Dated: Summer/Fall 2005 Pages: 18-27
Date Published
2005
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether intervention programs for perpetrators of partner violence ("batterers") in Contra Costa County, CA, treat the types of offenders for which they are intended.
Abstract
The study found that only 20.9 percent of men enrolled in batterer treatment fit the profile of a "batterer," which is a person whose attacks on a partner have involved moderate to serious injuries and moderate to high levels of abusive/controlling behavior. Based on the study findings, the author recommends that arrests and treatment in domestic-violence cases be based on the severity of assaults and rehabilitation potential, without gender bias. The author also recommends that batterer treatment programs be reserved only for those who have engaged in dangerous and severely abusive behavior against their partners, as determined by valid and reliable screening procedures. Seventy-nine percent of those participating in batterer treatment had perpetrated either minor physical violence (pushing and other minor physical contact) that produced negligible or no injuries and involved low to moderate levels of abusive/controlling behaviors. In 2002, 6 of 12 batterer treatment programs in Contra Costa County responded to a request to provide information on the features of the abusive behavior of clients that had warranted their mandatory enrollment in the program. Only men who had been convicted or pled guilty to a domestic-violence crime were included in the study. 2 tables and 70 references