NCJ Number
234955
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 55 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2011 Pages: 416-429
Date Published
May 2011
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study explored the ways in which male perpetrators of domestics violence describe their offenses, and whether these ways could be grouped into a core set of implicit theories about domestic violence.
Abstract
An understanding of how the beliefs of domestically violent offenders might influence their abusive behavior is central to the development and delivery of any intervention program that aims to reduce the risk of further violence against women and children. This article reports the results of a preliminary investigation into the core beliefs of a sample of domestically violent men. Three major themes emerged from an analysis of the accounts of their violence, which were understood in relation to three implicit theories that participants held about themselves, their relationships, and the world. These are discussed in terms of previous studies of offender cognition, how domestic violence programs might be conceptualized, and their implications for practice. (Published Abstract)