The Effects of Referral Source Supervision

Abstract

Domestic violence offenders who are court mandated to attend a batterer treatment program are more likely to complete treatment than offenders who voluntarily attend. However, few studies have examined the amount or severity of referral source supervision and its effect on treatment completion. This study uses data from three referral sources in South Carolina (i.e., pretrial intervention, criminal domestic violence court, and summary court) to determine whether higher levels of monitoring during a 26-week hybrid cognitive-behavioral batterer treatment program increase the likelihood of completion among batterers. Results indicate that increased supervision exercised over the clients by the referral source during treatment increases the likelihood that offenders will successfully complete the program. It is recommended that courts and other referring agencies keep attendance records, mandate monthly check-ins with case managers, require defendants to appear in court for follow-up hearings, and dedicate staff to monitor domestic violence cases to increase completion rates among batterers in treatment.