NCJ Number
91087
Date Published
1982
Length
10 pages
Annotation
An unstructured, openended group model has been used successfully to provide a counseling program to inmates who are in transition from incarceration to the community and who are at particular risk of committing domestic violence.
Abstract
Established in 1979, the program is sponsored by Abused Women's Aid in Crisis, Inc. (AWAIC) and operates from the Pre-Release Center of the Arthur Kill Correctional Facility, a minimum security facility located in Staten Island, New York. The batterers' prevention program aims to explore the alternatives to battering as a means of solving domestic disputes, to inform participants about their legal rights and alternatives, to promote recognition of sex-role patterns and their effects, and to begin a process of self-awareness. The inmates' initial hesitation about the program led to the decision to have a male worker rather than an all-female team lead the group. Each group focuses both on the task of information dissemination through a film showing and on the affective aspects of the group through a voluntary discussion of the film. Less than half of the group usually remains for the discussion. The discussions have shown great potential for the implementation of the stated objectives. The program has been expanded and may later be replicable in other correctional facilities throughout the Nation. The program demonstrates that males can help other men prevent domestic violence, just as women have been helping other women deal with the problem.