Intimate Partner and Nonintimate Violence History Among Drug-Using, Incarcerated Men

Abstract

There has been limited research focused on examining intimate and nonintimate violence perpetration patterns among incarcerated men. The purpose of this applied research study was to examine demographic, family, mental health, drug use, and criminal justice history among three groups of drug-using, incarcerated men: (a) those who report no violence of any kind (n = 47), (b) those who report nonintimate-only violence (n = 164), and (c) those who report both intimate and nonintimate violence—generally violent men (n = 298). There were very few men in this sample who reported perpetrating only intimate partner violence; thus, they were excluded from further comparisons. Results indicated the no-violence men were less antisocial, less drug involved, and reported fewer emotional problems and less family conflict. Generally, violent men reported more drug use, emotional problems, family conflict, and abuse victimization experiences than either the nonintimate-only violence or the no-violence groups. Implications for prison-based treatment and prerelease planning are discussed.