Making Appropriate Referrals for Batterers:

How Do You Know What Works?

Battering is defined as a pattern of abusive and controlling behavior that is used to dominate one’s intimate partner. Battering includes physical and sexual violence, financial coercion, emotional and verbal abuse. Some of these behaviors are criminal, bringing the batterers to the attention of the criminal justice system. The overwhelming majority of battering is perpetrated by men against women (U.S. Department of Justice statistics estimate 92%-95%).

Domestic violence professionals and criminal justice experts agree that the most effective long-term strategy for ending battering is a coordinated community response that:

§ Promotes the safety of battered women and their children

§ Holds batterers accountable for their behavior

§ Affects positive social change

There are many opportunities throughout the criminal justice process to hold batterers accountable for their behavior. Some examples include: enforcing pro-arrest policies, utilizing evidence based prosecution, providing specialized and intensive community supervision. Mandating treatment through a protective order, probation order, or other court order has become standard practice in many communities as a method of providing appropriate intervention.

It is important to understand what treatment options are available and how effectively they address the problem of battering. After all, it is the safety of the victims and ultimately the well-being of the community at stake. In Texas, the two most common treatment options are Battering Intervention and Prevention Programs (BIPP) and anger management. A comparison of both options is provided on the reverse side.

In a follow-up study of battterers who had participated in a battering intervention and prevention program in Pittsburgh, the less successful men more frequently cited anger management techniques as their means of reducing their abusive behavior, even though anger management was a very small part of the program. The more successful men more frequently cited empathy, a redefinition of their manhood, and more cooperative decision making as their means of reducing their abusive behavior.

(Gondolf, 1984)

Battering Intervention and Prevention Programs (BIPP)

Anger Management Programs

BIPPs understand that the assault or other criminally culpable behavior that brought the batterer to the systems’ attention is part of a complex pattern of behavior rather than a discrete incident. BIPPs require batterers to take responsibility for their behavior, addressing the denial, minimization and blame that are commonly used to justify behavior. BIPPs assist the batterer to understand his behavior as a means of controlling his partner by helping him to explore his intents and beliefs and by examining the cultural and social contexts in which he uses violence against his partner. BIPPs provide batterers with the opportunity to explore non-controlling and non-violent ways of negotiating with their partners both by teaching practical skills in problem-solving, communication, parenting, and anger management; and by teaching critical thinking and providing an opportunity for belief system change. BIPPs recognize that 42% of female homicide victims are killed by intimate partners and work to ensure safety for victims by providing established points of partner contact and by collaborating with local battered women’s programs. BIPPs recognize that treatment for batterers is only one element of the community response to battering and work towards establishing and participating in a coordinated community response. BIPPs meet rigorous treatment guidelines, which were developed both by experts in the field and by battered women’s advocates. Recognized BIPPs are monitored regularly by the state-wide family violence coalition, TCFV, through TDCJ-CJAD funding.

Anger management views the assault outside of the context of battering. It addresses only the link between his anger and his use of aggression. Anger management diffuses the responsibility of the abuse and prolongs the batterers’ denial by teaching batterers that they “explode.” Anger management fails to account for the premeditated controlling behaviors included within the pattern of battering. Anger management does not sufficiently address the normative reinforcements for battering and violence against women in general. Anger management focuses only on the relationship between the batterer’s anger and his use of aggression. This approach seeks to provide the batterer with tools to diffuse his anger without addressing belief system change or the complexity of the battering pattern. Anger management programs operate under no requirements for victim safety or for collaboration with battered women’s programs. Anger management puts the victim at risk by implying that the victim provokes the anger and precipitates the abuse. Anger management programs often do not recognize battering as a community problem and do not always participate in developing or supporting a coordinated community response. Anger management programs operate under no established guidelines. Anger management programs are not monitored by any state agency or licensing board.

Sources:

Gondolph, Edward and Russell, David. “The Case Against Anger Control Treatment Programs for Batterers,” Response, Volume 9, Number 3, 1986.

Healey, Kerry, Smith, Christine and O’Sullivan, Chris. “Batterer Intervention: Program Approaches and Criminal Justice Strategies,” National Institute of Justice: Issues and Practices, United States Department of Justice, February 1998.