Domestically Violent Offenders: Treatment Outcome Research

Intimate partner violence (IPV), sometimes referred to as domestic violence or battering, has received considerable attention as a societal problem and public health concern. There has been a major effort to decrease IPV through advancements in public policy and development of rehabilitative counseling programs. Pro-arrest policies throughout the United States have resulted in more perpetrators being arrested with expanded statutes that include not only physical assault but also verbal threats of harm, instilling fear through intimidating tactics, and coercive control that violates or obstructs the rights and freedom of family members. Although large-scale studies indicate that children may also be abused in about 40% of such cases, batterer intervention programs (BIPs) have primarily focused on violence and abuse inflicted upon married, dating, or romantically involved ...