Symbiosis of Arrest and Treatment for Wife Assault: The Case for Combined Intervention (From Woman Battering: Policy Responses, P 131-154, 1991, Michael Steinman, ed. -- See NCJ-129473)

• NCJ Number: 129480
• Author(s): D G Dutton; B M S McGregor
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 24 pages
• Sale Source: Anderson Publishing Co
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This analysis of treatment for abusive husbands concludes that the most appropriate approach is one that holds men responsible for their use of violence and helps them to analyze and control their anger, using a cognitive-behavioral approach.

Abstract

The criminal justice system had a weak response to wife assault as recently as the late 1970's, viewing it as neither serious nor the government's concern. Treatment groups for batterers resulted from public pressure for more effective responses by the criminal justice system. The use of court-mandated treatment groups may help overcome the reluctance of the criminal justice system to take action against wife batterers. An appropriate treatment philosophy emphasizes individual responsibility for an action. Techniques should be highly structured and confrontational. Anger management techniques that can be adapted to a variety of social situations are preferable to attempt to generate ideological change that may be incompatible with the abuser's background and needs. The combination of arrest and treatment shows the man that wife assault is unacceptable and provides the opportunity to learn new behavior. Descriptions of treatment and program evaluation methods, notes, and 58 references