Integrating the Principles of Effective Intervention into Batterer Intervention Programming

Abstract

The majority of batterer intervention program (BIP) evaluations have indicated they are marginally effective in reducing domestic violence recidivism. Meanwhile, correctional programs used to treat a variety of offenders (e.g., substance users, violent offenders, and so forth) that adhere to the “principles of effective intervention” (PEI) have reported significant reductions in recidivism. This article introduces the PEI—the principles on which evidence-based practices in correctional rehabilitation are based—and identifies the degree to which they are currently integrated into BIPs. The case is made that batterer programs could be more effective if they incorporate the PEI. Recommendations for further integration of the principles into BIPs are also provided.

Keywords

batterer intervention programs domestic violence principles of effective intervention correctional rehabilitation evidence-based practices

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aldarondo

Sugarman

D. B.

(1996). Risk marker analysis of the cessation and persistence of wife assault. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 1010–1019.

Andrews

D. A.

(2006). Enhancing adherence to risk-need-responsivity: Making quality a matter of policy. Criminology & Public Policy, 5, 595–602.

Andrews

D. A.

Bonta

(2010). The psychology of criminal conduct (5th ed.). New Providence, NJ: Matthew Bender.

Andrews

D. A.

Bonta

Hoge

R. D.

(1990). Classification for effective rehabilitation: Rediscovering psychology. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 17, 19–52.

Andrews

D. A.

Dowden

(1999). A meta-analytic investigation into effective correctional intervention for female offenders. Forum on Corrections Research, 11, 18–21.

Andrews

D. A.

Dowden

(2006). Risk principle of case classification in correctional treatment: A meta-analytic investigation. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 50, 88–100.

Andrews

D. A.

Zinger

Hoge

R. D.

Bonta

Gendreau

Cullen

F. T.

(1990). Does correctional treatment work? A clinically relevant and psychologically informed meta-analysis. Criminology, 28, 369–404.

Antonowicz

D. H.

Ross

R. R.

(1994). Essential components of successful rehabilitation programs for offenders. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 38, 97–104.

Aos

(1997). Outcome evaluation of Washington state's research-based programs for juveniles. Olympia, WA: Washington State Institute for Public Policy.

10.

Austin

J. B.

Dankwort

(1999). Standards for batterer programs: A review and analysis. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 14, 152–168.

11.

Babcock

J. C.

Canady

B. E.

Graham

Schart

(2007). The evolution of battering interventions: From the dark ages into the scientific age. In Hamel

Nicholls

(Eds.), Family interventions in domestic violence: A handbook of gender-inclusive theory and treatment (pp. 215–246). New York, NY: Springer.

12.

Babcock

J. C.

Green

C. E.

Robie

(2004). Does batterers' treatment work? A meta-analytic review of domestic violence treatment. Clinical Psychology Review, 23, 1023–1053.

13.

Babcock

J. C.

Miller

S. A.

Siard

(2003). Toward a typology of abusive women: Differences between partner-only and generally violent women in the use of violence. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 27, 153–161.

14.

Barber

S. J.

Wright

E. M.

(2010). The effects of referral source supervision. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 37, 847–859.

15.

Barnoski

(2004). Outcome evaluation of Washington state's research-based programs for juvenile offenders. Olympia, WA Washington State Institute for Public Policy.

16.

Bennett

L. W.

Stoops

Call

Flett

(2007). Program completion and re-arrest in a batterer intervention system. Research on Social Work Practice, 17, 42–54.

17.

Bonta

(1995). Responsivity principle and offender rehabilitation. Forum on Corrections Research, 7, 34–37.

18.

Bonta

Andrews

D. A.

(2007). Risk-need-responsivity model for offender assessment and rehabilitation 2007-06. Ottawa, Ontario: Public Safety Canada.

19.

Bonta

Wallace-Capretta

Rooney

(2000). A quasi-experimental evaluation of an intensive rehabilitation supervision program. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 27, 312–329.

20.

Butler

A. C.

Chapman

J. E.

Forman

E. M.

Beck

A. T.

(2006). The empirical status of cognitive-behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Clinical Psychology Review, 26, 17–31.

21.

Buttell

F. P.

Carney

M. M.

(2008). A large sample investigation of batterer intervention program attrition: Evaluating the impact of state program standards. Research on Social Work Practice, 18, 177–188.

22.

Buzawa

E. S.

Buzawa

C. G.

Stark

(2012). Responding to domestic violence: The integration of criminal justice and human services. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

23.

Cadsky

Hanson

R. K.

Crawford

Lalonde

(1996). Attrition from a male batterer teatment program: Client-treatment congruence and lifestyle instability. Violence and Victims, 11, 51–64.

24.

Campbell

J. C.

(1986). Nursing assessment for risk of homicide with battered women. Violence, the Family, and Society, 8, 36–51.

25.

Campbell

J. C.

(1995). Prediction of homicide of and by battered women. In Campbell

J. C.

(Ed.), Assessing dangerousness (pp. 96–113). Thousand Oaks: CA: Sage.

26.

Catalano

(2004). Criminal victimization, 2003. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

27.

Catalano

(2012). Intimate partner violence, 1993–2010. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

28.

Catalano

(2013). Intimate partner violence: Attributes of victimization, 1993–2011. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

29.

Cavanaugh

M. M.

Gelles

R. J.

(2005). The utility of male domestic violence offender typologies: New directions for research, policy, and practice. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20, 155–166.

30.

Chang

Saunders

D. G.

(2002). Predictors of attrition in two types of group programs for men who batter. Journal of Family Violence, 17, 273–292.

31.

Cullen

F. T.

Gendreau

(2000). Assessing correctional rehabilitation: Policy, practice, and prospects. In Horney

(Ed.), Criminal justice 2000, volume 3: Policies, processes, and decisions of the criminal justice system (pp. 109–175). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.

32.

Dalton

(2001). Batterer characteristics and treatment completion. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 16, 1223–1238.

33.

Daly

J. E.

Power

T. G.

Gondolf

E. W.

(2001). Predictors of batterer program attendance. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 16, 971–991.

34.

Davis

R. C.

Taylor

B. G.

(1999). Does batterer treatment reduce violence? Women & Criminal Justice, 10, 69–93.

35.

DeMaris

Benson

M. L.

Fox

G. L.

Hill

Van Wyk

(2003). Distal and proximal factors in domestic violence: A test of an integrated model. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 652–667.

36.

Dobash

R. E.

Dobash

(1979). Violence against wives. New York, NY: The Free Press.

37.

Dowden

Andrews

D. A.

(1999). What works in young offender treatment: A meta-analysis. Forum on Corrections Research, 11, 21–24.

38.

Dowden

Andrews

D. A.

(2000). Effective correctional treatment and violent reoffending: A meta-analysis. Canadian Journal of Criminology, 42, 449–467.

39.

Dutton

D. G.

Kropp

P. R.

(2000). A review of domestic violence risk instruments. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 1, 171–181.

40.

Easton

C. J.

Mandel

D. L.

Hunkele

K. A.

Nich

Rounsaville

B. J.

Carroll

K. M.

(2007). A cognitive behavioral therapy for alcohol-dependent domestic violence offenders: An integrated substance abuse-domestic violence treatment approach (SADV). The American Journal of Addictions, 16, 24–31.

41.

Eckhardt

C. I.

Murphy

C. M.

Whitaker

D. J.

Sprunger

Dykstra

Woodard

(2013). The effectiveness of intervention programs for perpetrators and victims of intimate partner violence. Partner Abuse, 4, 196–231.

42.

Feder

Wilson

D. B.

(2005). A meta-analytic review of court-mandated batterer intervention programs: Can courts affect abusers' behavior? Journal of Experimental Criminology, 1, 239–262.

43.

French

S. A.

Gendreau

(2006). Reducing prison misconducts: What works! Criminal Justice and Behavior, 33, 185–218.

44.

Gendreau

(1996). The principles of effective intervention with offenders. In Harland

A. T.

(Ed.), Choosing correctional options that work: Defining the demand and evaluating the supply (pp. 117–130). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

45.

Gondolf

E. W.

(1988). “Who are those guys?” Toward a behavioral typology of batterers. Violence and Victims, 3, 187–203.

46.

Gondolf

E. W.

(2002). Batterer intervention systems: Issues, outcomes, and recommendations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

47.

Gondolf

E. W.

(2004). Evaluating batterer counseling programs: A difficult task showing some effects and implications. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 9, 605–631.

48.

Gondolf

E. W.

(2012). The future of batterer programs: Reassessing evidence-based practice. Boston, MA: Northeastern University Press.

49.

Gottman

J. M.

Jacobson

N. S.

Rushe

R. H.

Shortt

J. W.

Babcock

J. C.

La Taillade

J. J.

Waltz

(1995). The relationship between heart rate reactivity, emotionally aggressive behavior, and general violence in batterers. Journal of Family Psychology, 9, 227–248.

50.

Grant

J. D.

(1965). Delinquency treatment in an institutional setting. In Quay

(Ed.), Juvenile delinquency research and theory (pp. 263–297). Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand.

51.

Hamberger

L. K.

Lohr

J. M.

Gottlieb

(2000). Predictors of treatment dropout from a spouse abuse abatement program. Behavior Modification, 24, 528–552.

52.

Heckert

D. A.

Gondolf

E. W.

(2000). The effect of perceptions of sanctions on batterer program outcomes. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 37, 369–391.

53.

Hilton

N. Z.

Harris

G. T.

Rice

M. E.

(2010). Risk assessment for domestically violent men. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

54.

Hilton

N. Z.

Harris

G. T.

Rice

M. E.

Houghton

R. E.

Eke

A. W.

(2008). An indepth actuarial assessment for wife assault recidivism: The Domestic Violence Risk Appraisal Guide. Law and Human Behavior, 32, 150–163.

55.

Hilton

N. Z.

Harris

G. T.

Rice

M. E.

Lang

Cormier

C. A.

Lines

K. J.

(2004). A brief actuarial assessment for the prediction of wife assault recidivism: The Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment. Psychological Assessment, 16, 267–275.

56.

Holsinger

(1999). Opening the ‘black box’: Assessing the relationship between program integrity and recidivism (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Cincinnati. Cincinnati, OH.

57.

Holtzworth-Munroe

Stuart

G. L.

(1994). Typologies of male batterers: Three subtypes and the differences among them. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 176–497.

58.

Hubbard

D. J.

(2007). Getting the most out of correctional treatment: Testing the responsivity principle on male and female offenders. Federal Probation, 71, 2–8.

59.

Hubbard

D. J.

Pealer

(2009). The importance of responsivity factors in predicting reductions in antisocial attitudes and cognitive distortions among adult male offenders. The Prison Journal, 89, 79–98.

60.

Izzo

R. L.

Ross

R. R.

(1990). Meta-analysis of rehabilitation programs for juvenile delinquents. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 17, 134–142.

61.

Jewell

L. M.

Wormith

J. S.

(2010). Variables associated with attrition from domestic violence treatment programs targeting male batterers: A meta-analysis. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 37, 1086–1113.

62.

Johnson

M. P.

(1995). Patriarchal terrorism and common couple violence: Two forms of violence against women. Journal of Marriage and Family, 57, 283–294.

63.

Johnson

M. P.

(2008). A typology of domestic violence: Intimate terrorism, violent resistance, and situational couple violence. Lebanon, NH: Northeastern University Press.

64.

Kaufman Kantor

Straus

M. A.

(1987). The “drunken bum” theory of wife beating. Social Problems, 34, 213–230.

65.

Kropp

P. R.

Hart

S. D.

(2000). The spousal assault risk assessment (SARA) guide: Reliability and validity in adult male offenders. Law and Human Behavior, 24, 101–118.

66.

Kropp

P. R.

Hart

S. D.

Webster

C. D.

Eaves

(1994). Manual for the spousal assault risk assessment guide. Vancouver, BC: British Columbia Institute on Family Violence.

67.

Kropp

P. R.

Hart

S. D.

Webster

C. D.

Eaves

(1995). Manual for the spousal assault risk assessment guide (2nd ed.). Vancouver, BC: British Columbia Institute on Family Violence.

68.

Kropp

P. R.

Hart

S. D.

Webster

C. D.

Eaves

(1998). Spousal assault risk assessment: User's guide. Toronto, ON: Multi-Health Systems.

69.

Latessa

E. J.

Brusman Lovins

Smith

Makarios

M. D.

(2010). Follow-up evaluation of Ohio's community based correctional facility and halfway house programs: Program characteristics supplemental report. Cincinnati, OH: Center for Criminal Justice Research, University of Cincinnati.

70.

Latessa

E. J.

Holsinger

A. M.

(1998). The importance of evaluating correctional programs: Assessing outcome and quality. Corrections Management Quarterly, 2, 22–29.

71.

Lipsey

M. W.

(1995). What do we learn from 400 research studies on the effectiveness of treatment with juvenile delinquents. In McGuire

(Ed.), What works: Reducing reoffending. Guidelines from research and practice (pp. 63–78). Chichester, United Kingdom: John Wiley.

72.

Lipsey

M. W.

Chapman

G. L.

Landenberger

N. A.

(2001). Cognitive-behavioral programs for offenders. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 578, 144–157.

73.

Lipsey

M. W.

Cullen

F. T.

(2007). The effectiveness of correctional rehabilitation: A review of systematic reviews. Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 3, 297–320.

74.

Losel

(1995). The efficacy of correctional treatment: A review and synthesis of meta-evaluations. In McGuire

(Ed.), What works: Reducing reoffending. Guidelines from research and practice (pp. 79–111). Chichester, United Kingdom: John Wiley.

75.

Lowenkamp

C. T.

Flores

A. W.

Holsinger

Makarios

M. D.

Latessa

E. J.

(2010). Intensive supervision programs: Does program philosophy and the principles of effective intervention matter? Journal of Criminal Justice, 38, 368–375.

76.

Lowenkamp

C. T.

Latessa

E. J.

(2005). Increasing the effectiveness of correctional programming through the risk principle: Identifying offenders for residential placement. Criminology & Public Policy, 4, 263–290.

77.

Lowenkamp

C. T.

Latessa

E. J.

Holsinger

(2006). The risk principle in action: What have we learned from 13,676 offenders and 97 correctional programs? Crime & Delinquency, 51, 1–17.

78.

Lowenkamp

C. T.

Latessa

E. J.

Smith

(2006). Does correctional program quality really matter? The impact of adhering to the principles of effective intervention. Criminology & Public Policy, 5, 201–220.

79.

Lowenkamp

C. T.

Makarios

M. D.

Latessa

E. J.

Lemke

Smith

(2010). Community corrections facilities for juvenile offenders in Ohio: An examination of treatment integrity and recidivism. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 37, 695–708.

80.

Lowenkamp

C. T.

Pealer

Smith

Latessa

E. J.

(2006). Adhering to the risk and need principles: Does it matter for supervision-based programs? Federal Probation, 70, 3–8.

81.

Lussier

Farrington

D. P.

Moffitt

T. E.

(2009). Is the antisocial child father of the abuse man? A 40-year prospective longitudinal study on the developmental antecedents of intimate partner violence. Criminology, 47, 741–780.

82.

MacKenzie

D. L.

(2000). Evidence-based corrections: Identifying what works. Crime & Delinquency, 46, 457–471.

83.

MacKenzie

D. L.

(2006). What works in corrections: Reducing the criminal activities of offenders and delinquents. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

84.

Maiuro

R. D.

Eberle

J. A.

(2008). State standards for domestic violence perpetrator treatment: Current status, trends, and recommendations. Violence and Victims, 23, 133–155.

85.

McGee

S. G. S.

(2005). 20 Reasons why she stays: A guide for those who want to help battered women. Retrieved from http://stopviolence.com/domviol/whytheystay.htm

86.

Miller

W. R.

Hester

R. K.

(1995). Treatment for alcohol problems: Toward an informed eclecticism. In Hester

R. K.

Miller

W. R.

(Eds.), Handbook of alcoholism treatment approaches: Effective alternatives (2nd ed., pp. 12–44). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

87.

Moore

T. M.

Stuart

G. L.

Meehan

J. C.

Rhatigan

D. L.

Hellmuth

J. C.

Keen

S. M.

(2008). Drug abuse and aggression between intimate partners: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 28, 247–274.

88.

Norlander

Eckhardt

C. I.

(2005). Anger, hostility, and male perpetrators of intimate partner violence: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 25, 119–152.

89.

Pence

Paymar

(1993). Education groups for men who batter. New York, NY: Springer.

90.

Piquero

A. R.

Brame

Fagan

Moffitt

T. D.

(2006). Assessing the offending activity of criminal domestic violence suspects: Offense specialization, escalation, and de-escalation evidence from the Spouse Assault Replication Program. Public Health Reports, 121, 409–418.

91.

Piquero

A. R.

Theobald

Farrington

D. P.

(2014). The overlap between offending trajectories, criminal violence, and intimate partner violence. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 58, 286–302.

92.

Raskin White

Chen

P.-H.

(2002). Problem drinking and intimate partner violence. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 63, 205–214.

93.

Richards

T. N.

Jennings

W. G.

Tomsich

E. A.

Gover

A. R.

(2013). A longitudinal examination of offending and specialization among a sample of Massachusetts domestic violence offenders. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 28, 643–663.

94.

Rooney

Hanson

R. K.

(2001). Predicting attrition from treatment programs for abusive men. Journal of Family Violence, 16, 131–149.

95.

Ross

Fabiano

E. A.

(1985). Time to think. Johnson City, TN: Institute of Social Science and Arts.

96.

Rothman

E. F.

Gupta

Pavlos

Dang

Coutinho

(2007). Batterer intervention program enrollment and completion among immigrant men in Massachusetts. Violence Against Women, 13, 527–543.

97.

Scott

(2004). Predictors of change among male batterers: Application of theories and review of empirical findings. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 5, 260–284.

98.

Shepard

M. F.

Pence

E. L.

(1999). Coordinating community responses to domestic violence: Lessons from Duluth and beyond. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

99.

Smith

Gendreau

Swartz

(2009). Validating the principles of effective intervention: A systematic review of the contributions of meta-analysis in the field of corrections. Victims and Offenders, 4, 148–169.

100.

Sonkin

D. J.

Martin

Walker

L. E. A.

(1985). The male batterer: A treatment approach. New York, NY: Springer.

101.

Spiropoulos

G. V.

Salisbury

E. J.

Van Voorhis

(2014). Moderators of correctional treatment success: An exploratory study of racial differences. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 58, 835–860.

102.

Stalans

L. J.

Seng

(2007). Identifying subgroups at high risk of dropping out of domestic batterer treatment: The buffering effects of a high school education. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 51, 151–169.

103.

Straus

M. A.

Gelles

R. J.

Steinmetz

S. K.

(2006). Behind closed doors: Violence in the American family. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

104.

Taft

C. T.

Murphy

C. M.

Elliott

J. D.

Keaser

M. C.

(2001). Race and demographic factors in treatment attendance for domestically abusive men. Journal of Family Violence, 16, 385–400.

105.

Taxman

F. S.

(2000). Unraveling “what works” for offenders in substance abuse treatment services. National Drug Court Institute Review, 2, 91–132.

106.

Van Voorhis

(1997). Correctional classification and the responsivity principle. Forum on Corrections Research, 9, 46–50.

107.

Van Voorhis

Salisbury

E. J.

(2014). Correctional counseling and rehabilitation (8th ed.). Waltham, MA: Anderson.

108.

Van Voorhis

Spruance

L. M.

Ritchey

P. N.

Listwan

S. J.

Seabrook

(2004). The Georgia cognitive skills experiment: A replication of reasoning and rehabilitation. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 31, 282–305.

109.

Van Voorhis

Spruance

L. M.

Ritchie

Listwan

S. J.

Seabrook

(2002). The Georgia cognitive skills experiment: Outcome evaluation, phase II. Cincinnati, OH: University of Cincinnati, Center for Criminal Justice Research.

110.

Watkins

L. E.

Maldonado

R. C.

DiLillo

(2014). Hazardous alcohol use and intimate partner aggression among dating couples: The role of impulse control difficulties. Aggressive Behavior, 40, 369–381.