Evaluation of the Womenstrength Self-Defense Program

• NCJ Number: 82098
• Author(s): S Beedle
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 24 pages
• Corporate Author: Portland (OR) Bureau of Police
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A program sponsored by the Portland Police Bureau to train women in self-defense techniques was evaluated to determine if it helped women become more confident in their ability to defend themselves from an attacker and if the techniques taught were used in practical situations.

Abstract

The Womenstrength workshops, which were part of the bureau's sexual assault prevention program, taught a combination of defense techniques and assertiveness skills. The workshops consisted of three 3-hour sessions, which emphasized the use of the woman's body as a natural weapon against the vulnerable body parts of an attacker. The workshops were taught by volunteer instructors who had each completed about 60 hours of intensive training provided by the Portland Police Bureau. All the women who registered for the March 1981 workshops were surveyed at the start of the course and 6 months later to determine their fear levels, self-confidence, victimization history, and other characteristics. Completed surveys were returned by 104 women. The number of women who felt somewhat confident or very confident in their ability to defend themselves from an attacker increased from 56 percent at the start of the workshops to 96 percent after attending the workshops. Participants also had increased feelings of self-confidence and assertiveness after taking the self-defense course. Three women were crime victims after taking all or part of the course. These women were able to use skills and information taught in the workshops during these crime incidents. Most participants noted that their behavior had changed with respect to crime prevention as a result of the workshops. About one-half of the participants also indicated that they would not take action if someone touched or spoke to them offensively. Almost 3,500 women have taken part in the workshops since they were first offered in July 1979. Tables, seven references, and appendixes summarizing the techniques taught in the course and presenting the evaluation instruments are provided.