Domestic Violence: A Case Study
Define the Problem
Decades of overlooking domestic violence as a social problem has recently been followed by an intense amount of public, private, and professional interest in this subject. One of the earliest responses to family violence was the development and growth of shelters for battered women and their children (Johnson & Kanzler 1993). Soon after their establishment, shelter staff noticed that a large percentage of abused women returned to their abusive partners (Hamberger and Hastings 1993). Even where victims successfully separated, these men typically continued their abusive patterns with a different partner (Farley and Magill 1988; Gondolf 1987). These workers came to believe that the best way to stop domestic violence was to change the behavior of the abuser through batterer intervention programs or BIPs (Feazell et al. 1984).
What are BIPS
Offenders are most often court-mandated to attend a BIP through a misdemeanor conviction for assault. Some referrals to BIPs come via a protection order through the family court. Offenders typically attend weekly 1.5 hour open-ended group sessions for between 12 to 56 weeks, varying from state to state. Generally BIPs utilize a cognitive behavioral group process led by one or two facilitators.
If batterers do not comply with the agreement with the …show more content…
The total costs of IPV also include nearly $1 billion in lost productivity from paid work and household chores for victims of nonfatal IPV and $1 billion in lifetime earnings lost by victims of IPV homicide, according to the CDC. These estimates do not include the costs occurred due to the violence witnessed by children. Past research has established that violent homes are a risk factor for producing violent adults, thereby continuing the cycle of violence ( Dutton 1988; Widom
Decades of overlooking domestic violence as a social problem has recently been followed by an intense amount of public, private, and professional interest in this subject. One of the earliest responses to family violence was the development and growth of shelters for battered women and their children (Johnson & Kanzler 1993). Soon after their establishment, shelter staff noticed that a large percentage of abused women returned to their abusive partners (Hamberger and Hastings 1993). Even where victims successfully separated, these men typically continued their abusive patterns with a different partner (Farley and Magill 1988; Gondolf 1987). These workers came to believe that the best way to stop domestic violence was to change the behavior of the abuser through batterer intervention programs or BIPs (Feazell et al. 1984).
What are BIPS
Offenders are most often court-mandated to attend a BIP through a misdemeanor conviction for assault. Some referrals to BIPs come via a protection order through the family court. Offenders typically attend weekly 1.5 hour open-ended group sessions for between 12 to 56 weeks, varying from state to state. Generally BIPs utilize a cognitive behavioral group process led by one or two facilitators.
If batterers do not comply with the agreement with the …show more content…
The total costs of IPV also include nearly $1 billion in lost productivity from paid work and household chores for victims of nonfatal IPV and $1 billion in lifetime earnings lost by victims of IPV homicide, according to the CDC. These estimates do not include the costs occurred due to the violence witnessed by children. Past research has established that violent homes are a risk factor for producing violent adults, thereby continuing the cycle of violence ( Dutton 1988; Widom