Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programs Research Articles

Strengths and Weaknesses of Inviting Men to a Voluntary-Based Domestic Violence Intervention.

This study examines the factors motivating domestic violence perpetrators to participate in a voluntary-based intervention program. The experiences and determining factors around men's positive and negative responses to this invitation were examined through semi-structured interviews with professionals, observations, and reflexive notes during the first meeting with 29 men. Two major themes emerged from the thematic analysis: the factors making men more likely to attend the first meeting or resisting the group intervention. These findings can help professionals recognize the challenges of inviting perpetrators to interventions, especially in countries with insufficient laws for mandated domestic violence perpetrator programs. The paper discusses the importance during the first meeting of building rapport and trust and recognizing complex family histories to encourage voluntary attendance and intervention engagement.

“We adapted because we had to”: how domestic violence perpetrator programmes adapted to work under COVID-19 in the UK, the USA and Australia

PurposeThis study explores responses by domestic violence perpetrator programme (DVPP) providers of three Western countries (UK, USA and Australia) to the COVID-19 pandemic and population movement control measures on their practice. The purpose of this paper was to offer an evidence base for changes to programme and intervention delivery around domestic violence to sustain integrity of safe, effective working practices with perpetrators, survivors and staff.Design/methodology/approachBased on 36 semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted from July to September 2020, the authors mapped the experiences of changes in service with frontline staff, managers and sector-wide representatives.FindingsThe findings focus on how providers of DVPPs adapted to the increase in referrals and workload that had a positive impact on service delivery innovation but an adverse impact on staff wellbeing. Digital services were reported to be adopted into mainstream approaches but introduced new barriers to service access and group dynamics. Integrated safety support for survivors, if not adequately connected to programmes pre-pandemic, risked being disconnected from DVPP that may undermine positive programme outcomes.Originality/valueThe paper provides a documentation of changes in DVPPs, and a cross-comparison of services across three Western countries during the first wave of COVID-19. The work offers implications of the development of digital modes of service delivery for DVPPs and highlights the need for focus on resource management and integration of safety services for survivors in DVPP services.

Responding to coercive control in criminal justice domestic violence perpetrator programmes in England and Wales: Conceptual, operational, and methodological complexities

Evaluations of domestic violence perpetrator programmes have not produced evidence that they are as effective at reducing male, non-violent, coercively controlling behaviours. This article proposes such limitations are understood by adopting a more complex conceptualisation of coercive control for which the reasons are both gendered and biographically unique. Drawing on document analyses and in-depth interviews with eight programme facilitators and an in-depth case study of one male participant, this article explores the merits and limitations of the cognitive behavioural, skills-based criminal justice programme, Building Better Relationships, in addressing coercively controlling behaviours. The dual (re)conceptualisation of coercive control proposed has implications for both practice and programme evaluation methods.

Rejecting and retaining aspects of selfhood: Constructing desistance from abuse as a ‘masculine’ endeavour

Evaluative studies of men who have attended domestic violence perpetrator programmes have, thus far, paid attention to the question of what they are expected to desist from. This is entirely appropriate. However, the question of what they are expected to achieve, or ‘become’, is less clearly articulated, indeed often overlooked. Based on a series of interviews with men who had completed perpetrator programmes, the narratives explored in this articles suggest that their abusive behaviour was underpinned by fears about how to ‘perform masculinity’ satisfactorily in the past. Consequentially, the programme experience was perceived as threatening or as ‘feminising’. However, the accounts of these men suggest that in desisting from abusive behaviour, issues of identity and processes of behaviour change remain profoundly gendered. Indeed, committing to desistance is perceived as something of an ‘heroic struggle’ in which qualities associated with being a ‘proper man’ are harnessed and utilised in the process.

A problem solved is a problem created: the opportunities and challenges associated with an online domestic violence perpetrator programme

Domestic violence perpetrator programmes are a frequently used intervention to respond to perpetrators of domestic violence. However, there is considerable concern about the use of ‘online’, ‘virtual’, or ‘digital’ programmes delivered remotely. Policy and practice have developed at pace through the COVID-19 pandemic and research is lacking. This exploratory research examined the challenges and opportunities associated with a pilot online programme in Minnesota, US, for court mandated men. It took place before the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the first study to investigate a ‘live’ online programme. A mixed method design was used, consisting of 40 hours of observational data (covering 25 sessions); four interviews with programme facilitators, 12 interviews with programme observers, and six perpetrators enrolled on the programme. We did not investigate the experiences of partners or ex-partners or of partner organisations, which is a limitation. We found that while the online format solved some long-established issues with programme delivery (for example, providing an intervention for rural communities, a lack of transport, continuity of intervention for those who travel as part of their job), different issues arose in connection to the online programme. These problems included access to necessary broadband speeds, technical hardware and a private place to participate in the sessions.

Facilitators of probation-based domestic violence perpetrator programmes: ‘Who’s in the room?’

The role that probation practitioners play in the desistance process has begun to receive much needed attention. Yet, the experiences of facilitators of probation-based, domestic violence perpetrator programmes have long been neglected. This article explores the experiences and wellbeing of eight facilitators from one cohort of the Building Better Relationships (BBR) programme in England. Drawing upon five-months’ observations and in-depth interviews, I demonstrate how working with domestically violent men with insufficient knowledge, experience, or support, exacerbated within the context of Transforming Rehabilitation reforms, impacted significantly on facilitator well-being, professional identities, and practice. Practice implications are discussed.

Barriers to Advancing Evidence-Based Practice in Domestic Violence Perpetrator Treatment in the United States: Ideology, Public Funding, or Both?

Though usually framed in the context of ideological and political processes, the failure of domestic violence perpetrator programs to embrace research-supported practice may also be influenced by a widespread unwillingness to use public funds for that purpose. This policy analysis examines the links among federal policy, state implementation, organizational structure, and funding sources of perpetrator service-providing organizations. Those links reveal reciprocal relationships among conservative and ostensibly feminist views of domestic violence within an implied policy framework justifying public underfunding of perpetrator treatment programs. Placed within the current hyper-politicized context of US Federal governance and policy, this analysis identifies advancements in perpetrator treatment in several state governments as harbingers of potential movement toward research-supported practice.

Aile İçi Şiddet Faillerinin Müdahalelere Etkin Katılım Nedenleri: Alanyazın İncelemesi

This article reviews the available literature on major theoretical explanations for understanding engagement by focusing on the stages and circumstances of male perpetrators’ involvement in domestic violence interventions. The review aims to improve the insights into theoretical accounts by conceptualising the perspectives of participants’ motivational influences in changing violent behaviour in domestic violence perpetrator programmes. This article applied a critical literature review to explore theoretical explanations of engagement in domestic violence perpetrator interventions. Various factors in relation to theoretical conceptualisations are identified since different conditions can impact on perpetrators’ engagement. This theoretical overview is helpful to recognise how these theories and models enable us to understand how key circumstances impact the effectiveness of their involvement in interventions. This article attempts to provide an integrated framework for understanding domestic abusers’ engagement process in intervention programs and suggests approaches that will increase engagement and subsequent behaviour change.

Current status and challenges of domestic violence perpetrator programs: Examining a new relationship-building model between the victim and the perpetrator

Current status and challenges of domestic violence perpetrator programs: Examining a new relationship-building model between the victim and the perpetrator

Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programmes in Ireland – Intervention Required!

Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programmes in Ireland – Intervention Required!

The adaptation of a Solution Focused Brief Therapy domestic violence perpetrator programme: a case study with a client with a learning disability

Re-offending rates of perpetrators of domestic violence are high (Hester et al., 2006) and there is a need for perpetrator programmes to reduce victimization. There is no clear evidence for the effectiveness of existing programmes (Bowen, Gilchrist and Beech, 2005; Herman, Rotunda, Williamson and Vodanovich, 2016; Smedslund et al., 2011). A new perpetrator programme based on Solution Focused Brief Therapy has been developed (Bowen, 2013), and whilst in its infancy it has received positive feedback from services and clients (International Innovation, 2016). Solution Focused Brief Therapy has been found to be effective in the reduction of aggression and criminal behaviours (Gingerich and Peterson, 2013), and has been effectively used with people with a learning disability (Smith, 2005). This case study will explore the effectiveness of the new perpetrator programme with someone with a learning disability on their attitudes towards domestic violence and abuse as well as self-esteem. Practitioner points Solution Focused Therapy for domestic violence has been found to successfully change the behaviour and improve the self-esteem of a man with a learning disability Where children are at risk of harm, longer-term interventions remain the recommended therapy The mainstream model for treatment was adapted by using visual aids and role play to work with someone with learning disabilities and these were found to be useful by the client

A Review of Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programs in the United Kingdom

The aim of this study was to conduct a review of current intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrator provision within the United Kingdom. The objective of the review was to explore the characteristics of intervention programs currently within the United Kingdom. Using a questionnaire-based design, we explored characteristics of current programs including program structure, program logistics, facilitator characteristics, and facilitator insights around the programs. A number of organizations completed the questionnaire (N = 21), and a review of existing literature was performed to explore the general characteristics of programs being delivered within the United Kingdom. Within the sample, we found that the feminist approach was still influential, but that facilitators also reported a need to ensure programs are more inclusive in their service provision to represent the diversity of perpetrators found. An unexpected finding from this study was the resistance of many organizations to engage with the research through an apparent suspicion of the agenda and motivation of the research team.

Evaluation of European Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programmes: Toward a Model for Designing and Reporting Evaluations Related to Perpetrator Treatment Interventions.

This article is based on a review of 60 evaluations (published and unpublished) relating to European domestic violence perpetrator programmes, involving 7,212 programme participants across 12 countries. The purpose of the review, part of the "IMPACT: Evaluation of European Perpetrator Programmes" project funded by the European Commission (Daphne III Programme), was to provide detailed knowledge about the range of European evaluation studies with particular emphasis on the design, methods, input, output, and outcome measures used in order to identify the possibilities and challenges of a multicountry, Europe-wide evaluation methodology that could be used to assess perpetrator programmes in the future. We provide a model to standardise the reporting of evaluation studies and to ensure attention is paid to what information is being collected at different time points so as to understand what and how the behaviour and attitudes of perpetrators might change throughout the course of the programme.

"Time Out": A Strategy for Reducing Men's Violence Against Women in Relationships?

This article critically explores accounts of how men attending domestic violence perpetrator programs (DVPP) used the "time out" strategy. Findings are drawn from 71 semi-structured interviews with 44 men attending DVPPs and 27 female partners or ex-partners of men in DVPPs. We describe three ways in which the technique was used: first, as intended, to interrupt potential physical violence; second, through the effective adaption of the time-out rules by victim-survivors; and finally, misappropriation by some men to continue and extend their controlling behaviors. Policy and practice lessons are drawn from the findings through connecting broader and deeper measurements of what success means when working with domestic violence perpetrators to the ways in which the time-out technique was used.

New pathways in the evaluation of programmes for men who perpetrate violence against their female partners

Today, evaluation research in the field of intervention programmes for men who perpetrate violence against their female partners still makes a fragmentary impression. Across Europe various evaluation studies have been performed. However, the methodologies applied are too heterogeneous to allow the combination of the results in a meta-analytical way. In this paper we propose a future pathway for organising outcome evaluation studies of domestic violence perpetrator programmes in community settings, so that today’s problems in this field can be overcome. In a pragmatic framework that acknowledges the limited pre-conditions for evaluation studies in the area of domestic violence perpetrator programmes as it is today, feasible approaches for outcome evaluation are outlined, with recent developments in the field taken as starting points. The framework for organising future evaluation studies of work with perpetrators of domestic violence is presented together with a strategy to promote this framework. International networks of practitioners and researchers play a central role in this strategy through upskilling the area of practical work, preparing the ground for evaluation research and improving cooperation between practitioners and researchers. This paper is based on the results of the European funded project IMPACT (under the Daphne-III-funding programme of the European Commission).

Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programs: A Proposal for Evidence-Based Standards in the United States

In the United States, the judicial system response to violence between intimate partners, or intimate partner violence (IPV), typically mandates that adjudicated perpetrators complete a batterer intervention program (BIP). The social science data has found that these programs, on the whole, are only minimally effective in reducing rates of IPV. The authors examined the social science literature on the characteristics and efficacy of BIPs. More than 400 studies were considered, including a sweeping, recently conducted survey of BIP directors across the United States and Canada. Results of this review indicate that the limitations of BIPs are due, in large part, to the limitations of current state standards regulating these programs and, furthermore, that these standards are not grounded in the body of empirical research evidence or best practices. The authors, all of whom have considerable expertise in the area of domestic violence perpetrator treatment, conducted an exhaustive investigation of the following key intervention areas: overall effectiveness of BIPs; length of treatment/length of group sessions; number of group participants and number of facilitators; group format and curriculum; assessment protocol and instruments; victim contact; modality of treatment; differential treatment; working with female perpetrators; working with perpetrators in racial and ethnic minority groups; working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) perpetrators; perpetrator treatment and practitioner–client relationships; and required practitioner education and training. Recommendations for evidence-based national BIP standards were made based on findings from this review.

A Survey of Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programs in the United States and Canada: Findings and Implications for Policy and Intervention

A 15-page questionnaire, the North American Domestic Violence Intervention Program Survey, was sent to directors of 3,246 domestic violence perpetrator programs (also known as batterer intervention programs, or BIPs) in the United States and Canada. Respondent contact information was obtained from state Coalitions Against Domestic Violence and from various government agencies (e.g., Attorney General) available on the Internet. Two hundred thirty-eight programs completed and returned the questionnaire, a response rate of 20%. The survey yielded descriptive data on respondent characteristics; program philosophy, structure, content, and service; client characteristics; treatment approach and adjunct services; and group facilitator views on intervention approaches and domestic violence policy and treatment standards. The programs varied in the extent to which they adhere to treatment approaches suggested by the empirical research literature. In addition, chi-square analyses were conducted on the associations between several factors. Significant correlations were found between respondent low level of education and adherence to a feminist-gendered program philosophy; respondent low level of education and use of a shorter assessment protocol; feminist-gendered program philosophy and incorrect facilitator knowledge about domestic violence; and feminist-gendered program philosophy and a program focus on power and control as the primary cause of domestic violence.

Researching collaborative processes in domestic violence perpetrator programs: Benchmarking for situation improvement

SummaryThis article reports on research undertaken in Victoria, Australia with workers from men’s behavior change programs (perpetrator programs) to explore the extent of the collaborative processes established with police, child protection, and other human service organizations. It poses the question: how do regional collaborative arrangements and the pathways to referral reflect the responsiveness of men’s behavior change programs to domestic violence service integration? It builds on a strand of research highlighting the significance of the wider domestic violence intervention system in holding men who use violence accountable.FindingsA research tool was designed around a Practice Matrix to outline different dimensions against which expectations of collaboration could be benchmarked in men’s behavior change programs. It was found that at this early stage within the domestic violence reform process in Victoria that the integration of programs within the wider domestic violence sector was relatively undeveloped. The feedback loops between agencies, which enable reporting on attendance, breaches of intervention orders, changes to the risk assessment, and progress at formal review points were relatively undeveloped. However, the formal engagement within domestic violence regional committees and with police was more developed.ApplicationSocial workers, particularly in the vulnerable children’s area provide referrals to men’s behavior change programs. Active involvement in feedback, risk assessment review, monitoring for change support the accountability and collaborative effort required to strengthen the effectiveness of men’s behavior change and enhance the safety of women and their children.

Desisting from Domestic Abuse: Influences, Patterns and Processes in the Lives of Formerly Abusive Men

AbstractThis article argues that domestic violence perpetrator programmes in the UK have paid insufficient attention to how perpetrators actually desist from abusive behaviour in the long term. It draws on evidence from a 2010 study which investigated how a sample of men accomplished desistance from abusive behaviour. It reveals that even men committed to desistance may require programmes to support them over a period of several years, and confirms that desistance is best understood as a process and not an outcome. The article concludes that these men's experiences underline the need for interventions to be substantially more desistance‐focused than they are at present.

Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programs in Europe, Part I

Most research on domestic violence perpetrator programs has been carried out in North America. It does not yet provide a clear picture on what works with these offenders and cannot be generalized to other cultural and legal systems. Therefore, in Part I of this article, we present the results of a survey of 54 programs that were in place in 19 European countries that addressed the programs' practice and effects. The survey captured data about program design, delivery, administration, infrastructure, and other features. Most programs applied cognitive-behavioral, profeminist, or psychodynamic treatment, or a combination of multiple treatment types. There was a wide disparity in approaches to handling domestic violence perpetrators, and a particular dearth of high-quality evaluation throughout the continent. Possible explanations for this disparity and avenues for improvement are discussed, related to a systematic review of European outcome evaluations (Part II).