Broken fixes: A systematic analysis of the effectiveness of modern and postmodern interventions utilized to decrease IPV perpetration among Black males remanded to treatment

Abstract

Abstract Batterer intervention programs are mostly failing to protect victims of intimate partner violence; yet, there is a dearth of research that examines the treatment intervention as a predictor for program dropout. A systematic review of offenders' attrition and recidivism rates throughout the literature found that current interventions typically mandated by criminal justice policymakers, like the Duluth Model and Cognitive Behavior Therapy, are largely ineffective for perpetrators of all racial/ethnic groups. However, they are particularly problematic for Black males who are disproportionately remanded to treatment and more likely to drop out, which elevates their risk of reoffending at increased lethality. Current interventions account for patriarchy; however, there is a fundamental mismatch, specifically since the interlocking nature of systemic racism, along with its societal effects that include social, political and economic inequality that Black males dually experience are largely ignored. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of strengths-based intervention models, like Goal Setting, to account for their needs. Although limited, available research reflects promising outcomes and may point toward developing more strengths-based interventions. Fixing the batterer system is critical to reducing intimate partner violence, particularly since Black women are murdered by their intimate partner at rates that parallel Black males' program dropout.