NCJ Number
243006
Date Published
2012
Length
135 pages
Annotation
This report presents the results of research examining the effectiveness of a domestic violence treatment program.
Abstract
This report presents the results of research examining the effectiveness of a domestic violence treatment program run by a privately-owned probation agency operating in the Midwest. The primary goal of the research was to examine the perspectives of court-ordered domestic violence offenders while they were involved in the intervention program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with program participants to obtain information on their perceptions' of the program. The interviews revealed that participants believed that while program facilitators were generally effective, there were times when they were unable to control the class discussions. The interviews also revealed that both participants and program administrators recognized that the privately-owned aspect of the program limited the degree to how resourceful the company could be to its clients. The research also examined offender motivation to change and program attrition to determine whether they were mitigating or aggravating circumstances of the program's success. The analysis found that while some offenders admitted they were wrong and spoke about changing their behavior, they still continued to justify their actions. This finding suggests that offender motivation needs to be improved in order to improve the effectiveness of the program. The final section of the report discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the program and offers suggestions for changing the direction of the domestic violence intervention curriculum. Tables, figures, appendixes, and references