Research on Batterer Intervention Programs
“Can people who batter change?”
This is a common question with a complicated answer. Some people do make changes in their actions and the beliefs that underlie the violence. Such change takes a long period of time. And some people may not change, even if they attend a batterer intervention program. In fact, thousands of people attend this program, often against their will. For example, everyone convicted of a domestic violence offense in California is required to attend a 52-week batterer intervention program.
These programs should not be called “treatment” because people who batter are not “sick” or “ill” but must change their belief system that justifies violence in their relationships. Effective batterer intervention programs are not “anger management” programs because abusive behavior comes
from beliefs justifying power and control, not from anger.
Just because an abuser attends a batterer intervention group, abusive behavior may not stop. In most research many people in these groups do commit violence after they have enrolled. Victims should continue to determine whether or not they feel safe.
Successful batterer intervention programs rely on the coordinated community response that includes law enforcement, the courts, probation department, and domestic violence advocates. Only when a community takes domestic violence seriously with clear and consistent consequences, do batterer intervention programs exist in the environment where people can change.
In all measures (surveys, reports to police, injuries in hospitals, calls to hotlines), men commit most incidents of domestic violence. Most batterer intervention program focus on men and address issues of male socializations that contribute to violence beliefs and behavior. While some women are arrested for domestic violence, most of them are primarily victims of domestic violence who have committed a violent act. While there are some programs for lesbians, gay men and women who batter, the majority of research focuses on heterosexual men who batter.
It is difficult to measure success. Good research should not be limited to one factor. Look at many measures over a long period of time, such as: change in attitudes, re-arrest/police/probation records, self-reports
of abuse, and partner reports of abuse.
There are many types of programs. Some prominent organizations that provide training and have developed a curriculum are:
Here is some recent research, evaluation and commentary on this issue:
Edleson, Do Batterers’ Programs Work?, 1995
http://www.mincava.umn.edu/papers/battrx.htm
Gondolf, Multi-Site Evaluation of Batterer Intervention Systems: Summary of the 15-month Follow-up, 1997
http://www.mincava.umn.edu/papers/gondolf/summary.htm
Gondolf, Multi-Site Evaluation of Batterer Intervention Systems: A Summary of Findings for a 12-month
Follow-up, 1997
http://www.mincava.umn.edu/papers/gondolf/sumofcdc.htm
Gondolf, Characteristics of Batterers in a Multi-Site Evaluation of Batterer Intervention Systems, 1995
http://www.mincava.umn.edu/papers/gondolf/batchar.htm
Gondolf, Discharge Criteria for Batterer Programs, 1995
http://www.mincava.umn.edu/papers/gondolf/discharg.htm
Gondolf, Men Who Batter: A Selected Bibliography, 1995
http://www.mincava.umn.edu/bibs/bibmen.htm
Montreal Men Against Sexism, Limits and Risks of “Programs for Wife Batterers”, 1995
http://www.mincava.umn.edu/papers/limits.asp
Tolman and Edleson, Intervention for Men Who Batter: A Review of Research, 1995
http://www.mincava.umn.edu/papers/toledl.htm
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