NCJ Number
107890
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 2 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1987) Pages: 324-336
Date Published
1987
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article describes the philosophy and programs of the Domestic Abuse Project of Minneapolis (Minnesota), a program designed to intervene in woman battering at multiple levels of society ranging from individual male batterers to community institutions that enforce societal norms.
Abstract
The project's four major program areas are community intervention programs, counseling and education services, professional training, and evaluation and research. Community intervention projects are designed to apply immediate and consistent sanctions to spouse abusers while offering support to abusers motivated to terminate their violent behavior. Programs include legal advocacy for battered women and a self-help network for both victims and batterers. The counseling and education services provide a variety of therapeutic, educational, and support services to batterers, battered women, and their children. In evaluating the impact of project programs, the criterion for success is the complete cessation of violence and threats of violence based on reports during followup contacts. The project coordinates intervention in and monitoring of social institutional responses to battering. This focus is based in the belief that woman battering is a social problem rooted in long-established cultural norms regulating behavior between men and women. Attempts to replicate project components in other communities should include adaptation to community needs through negotiation and monitoring by shelter, criminal justice, and social service staff. 16 references.