A randomized controlled trial of restorative justice-informed treatment for domestic violence crimes

Which battering interventions work? An updated Meta-analytic review of intimate partner violence treatment outcome research

This meta-analytic review is an update to the first meta-analysis of battering interventions (Babcock et al., 2004) and includes 59 studies that evaluated treatment efficacy for domestically violent men and women. The outcome literature of controlled quasi-experimental and experimental studies was reviewed to test the relative impact of Duluth, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and novel types of treatment on subsequent recidivism of violence. The first model examines studies comparing interventions to no treatment control conditions. The second model compares novel interventions to treatment as usual (i.e., the Duluth curriculum). Study design and type of treatment were tested as moderators in both models. Consistent with previous meta-analyses, effect sizes were in the small range, smaller in true experiments as compared to quasi-experimental designs when recidivism was based on partner or police reports. However, new experiments comparing novel treatments to the Duluth curriculum reveal effect sizes comparable to when comparing novel interventions to an untreated comparison group. Novel interventions, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Circles of Peace had the largest effect sizes when put head-to-head with Duluth control groups. Future research directions include testing moderators and mechanisms of change of the battering interventions that work. Implications for evidence-based practice in criminal justice include broader implementation and continued testing of these novel interventions with demonstrated efficacy in stopping intimate partner violence.

The Uptake and Measurement of Alternative Approaches to Domestic Violence Intervention Programs: A Scoping Review

This scoping review explores the breadth and depth to which Domestic Violence Intervention Programs (DVIPs) in the United States and globally: (a) incorporate components that address the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and social injustice, racism, economic inequality, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs); (b) use restorative (RJ)/transformative justice (TJ) practices, individualized case management, partnerships with social justice actors, and strengths-based parenting training in current programming; and (c) measure effectiveness. In 2021, we searched 12 academic databases using a combination of search terms and Medical Subject Headings. In all, 27 articles that discussed at least one key concept relative to DVIP curricula were included in the final review. Findings suggest that very few DVIPs address ACEs and/or the relationship between structural violence, social inequality, and IPV perpetration. Even fewer programs use restorative practices including RJ or TJ. Furthermore, DVIPs use inconsistent methods and measures to evaluate effectiveness. To respond to IPV perpetration more effectively and create lasting change, DVIPs must adopt evidence-informed approaches that prioritize social and structural determinants of violence, trauma-informed care, and restoration.

Domestic violence: prevention past due

In May 2023, the White House released the National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, which includes intimate partner or domestic violence (DV). Based on 20 years of experience in California, this commentary provides detailed examples of 2 DV prevention strategies: interrupting intergenerational transmission and addressing macrolevel drivers. Family-strengthening approaches to prevention and justice and increasing economic security are key. Insight into regional policies and programs can inform implementation of the national plan and DV prevention in other states and localities.

Multiple Perspectives on How Intimate Partner Violence Surrogate Impact Panels Affect Abusive Partners

Restorative justice programs, including surrogate impact panels, are increasingly used to address intimate partner violence (IPV) but research has not assessed adequately how panels may affect participating abusive partners. This article reports the perceived impacts of surrogate impact panels on justice-involved individuals (JIIs) who attended a panel as part of their batterer intervention programs (BIPs) using surveys of JIIs (N = 289) and focus groups or interviews with panelist speakers, JIIs, and BIP providers. Findings suggest that JIIs can connect with speakers, reach new understandings of IPV, and express emotional impact/intent to change. The findings can inform decisions to use panels as part of IPV interventions.

When State Violence Comes Home: From Criminal Legal System Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence in a Time of Mass Incarceration

Exceptionally high rates of partner violence perpetration are evident among men returning from prison. Two bodies of scholarship, one on family stress and another on exposure to state violence, each suggest that criminal legal system exposure could promote partner violence perpetration via changes in men's behavioral health and interpersonal approach and in couples' conflict dynamics. Such relationships have not been tested in quantitative research. Structural equation models were fitted to longitudinal, couples-based survey data from the Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting, and Partnering. Participants included men returning from a state prison term in five U.S. states (N = 1112) and their committed intimate or co-parenting partners (N = 1112). Models tested hypothesized pathways from three dimensions of criminal legal system exposure to later partner violence perpetration. In fitted models, men's childhood criminal legal system exposure predicts their post-prison partner violence perpetration via adult post-traumatic stress symptoms, reactivity, avoidance, and dysfunctional couple conflict dynamics. Men's cumulative criminal legal system exposure in adulthood predicts their post-prison partner violence perpetration via addiction and dysfunctional couple conflict. These initial results suggest that mass-scale incarceration could worsen partner violence via men's psychological and interpersonal adaptations to criminal legal system contact, particularly when such contact is sustained or occurs at a developmentally significant period in the life course.

Analysis of personal psychological motivation and social psychological motivation of Retaliatory Justice under moral public opinion: Chinese cases

From a social psychology perspective, this study explored the personal and social psychological motivation of Retaliatory Justice. This study constructed a four-dimensional model of the psychological motivation of Retaliatory Justice from the two dimensions of "Self vs. Society" and "Identity vs. Resource." They were Identity-Based Self-Oriented Motivation (Pacifying Outrage), Resource-Based Self-Oriented Motivation (Occupying Resource), Identity-Based Society-Oriented Motivation (Value Confirmation), and Resource-Based Society-Oriented Motivation (Deterrence and Control). In this study, 497 sets of valid data were extracted from 6 universities in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China, using 3 sets of situational experiments and the "Questionnaire Star" online survey platform as a vehicle to explore the personal motivations and psychosocial motivations of Retaliatory Justice. The empirical results showed that the situational experiment significantly verified the existence of Pacifying Outrage and Value Confirmation, and partially verified the existence of Deterrence and Control and Occupying Resource. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that only the effect of Pacifying Outrage on Retaliatory Justice showed a main effect, and the interaction between Pacifying Outrage and Deterrence and Control was not significant. Pacifying Outrage significantly affects Retaliatory Justice, while Occupying Resource significantly affects Retaliatory Justice, but the interaction between the two was not significant. Value Confirmation significantly affects Retaliatory Justice. Value Confirmation and Deterrence and Control synergistically affect Retaliatory Justice, but Deterrence and Control had no significant effect on Retaliatory Justice. Taking emotions as clues, this paper discussed the realistic value of the rheological paths of the psychological motivation of Retaliatory Justice, which brought enlightenment to the improvement of social morality, the cultivation of judicial trust, and the construction of psychological service system.

Evaluating Measures of Intimate Partner Violence Using Consensus-Based Standards of Validity

The assessment of intimate partner violence (IPV) by mental health, medical, and criminal justice practitioners occurs routinely. The validity of the assessment instrument they use impacts practitioners' ability to judge ongoing risk, establish the type of IPV occurring, protect potential victims, and intervene effectively. Yet, there is no known compendium of existing assessment measures. The purpose of this article is threefold: (1) to present a systematic review of measures used to identify or predict IPV, (2) to determine which of these measures have psychometric evidence to support their use, and (3) to determine whether any existing measure is capable of differentiating between situational couple violence and intimate terrorism. A systematic search was conducted using PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, PubMed, and MEDLINE. Studies on the reliability or validity of specific measures of IPV were included, regardless of format, length, discipline, or type of IPV assessed. A total of 222 studies, on the psychometric properties of 87 unique measures, met our a priori criteria and were included in the review. We described the reliability and validity of the 87 measures. We rated the measures based on the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments-revised criteria and other established validity criteria, which allowed us to generate a list of recommended measures. We also discussed measures designed to differentiate IPV types. We conclude by describing the strengths and weaknesses of existing measures and by suggesting new avenues for researchers to enhance the assessment of IPV.

Sociodemographic and psycho social Differences Between Hate Crime Offenders and Other Non-Bias-Motivated Criminals: Implications for Prison Rehabilitation Programs

Hate crimes have severe consequences for the victims and for all members of the victim's social category. Prison programs must address the criminogenic needs of the participants, especially in this kind of crime, in order to prevent recidivism. This study seeks to understand the role of prejudice and aggression in the execution of hate crimes, in order to design effective interventions for hate crime offenders. Sociodemographic, criminological, and psychosocial variables were assessed in a sample of 33 hate crime offenders sentenced to prison or community service and in a group of 38 non-bias-motivated criminals (n = 71). The individuals convicted of hate crimes have higher reactive and proactive aggression, subtle prejudice, homophobia, and social dominance orientation. The implications of these results for the Penitentiary Administration programs will be discussed.

Thinking incrementally about policy interventions on intimate partner violence in Papua New Guinea: understanding 'popcorn' and 'blanket'

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has introduced laws and policies aimed at protecting women from intimate partner violence. This article examines how men who live in Lae, PNG, have made sense of and reacted to these laws and policies. Two evocative metaphors -'popcorn' and 'blanket' - emerge from our research. For 'popcorn', we see how the reforms created a chain reaction similar to that when popcorn is made. Using this metaphor, we analyse men's responses to the reforms, which range from a perceived threat to their cultural dominance, to fears about their personal problems being made public, to practical limits of the reforms. For 'blanket', we show how laws and policies can act like a blanket to smother men's agency in resolving violence and conflict within their homes and communities. The blanket metaphor further highlights how women's ability to seek support under the new laws are constrained by PNG's male dominated society. Adopting the idea that productive change is sometimes incremental, we argue that reforms focused on creating paradigmatic change through legislation and state policies should not occur at the expense of open-mindedness to partial and incomplete local innovations in reducing intimate partner violence.

What About Men? The Marginalization of Men Who Engage in Domestic Violence

In an international policy context that is increasingly recognizing the gendered nature of domestic violence, governments are becoming more attuned to the importance of improving policy responses for women who have domestic violence enacted against them. This has not, in general, been accompanied by a similar focus on improving policy responses to men who engage in domestic violence, despite a burgeoning body of scholarship suggesting that improved responses to such men are required to more effectively prevent domestic violence from occurring. Importantly, current scholarship also highlights the significant and complex tensions that may arise when policy informed by gendered understandings of domestic violence increases its focus on the men who enact it. Drawing on a critical discourse analysis methodology, we analyze how these tensions are negotiated in domestic violence policy in the Australian state of Queensland. Findings from this analysis demonstrate that the way government policy discursively constructs men who engage in domestic violence has important implications for how such policy targets and engages with members of this group. The article demonstrates that when such men are constructed as outsiders to the community, they may be viewed as undeserving of inclusion and support. This can result in governments failing to prioritize interventions targeted at men who engage in domestic violence, and prevent the active inclusion of such men in the development of policy and interventions. These findings provide important lessons for international governments seeking to implement or strengthen policy responses to end domestic violence against women.

From Isolation to Connection: The Practices and Promise of Open Domestic Violence Shelters

Antidomestic violence advocates have begun to question two essential policies that have long defined domestic violence shelters-strict secrecy regarding shelter location and prohibitions on shelter access to all except staff and residents-both of which serve to increase survivors' social isolation and entail coercive rules that resonate painfully with broader oppressive dynamics. In response a growing number of communities have begun experimenting with open shelters, which break from tradition by making their locations public, and allowing visitors. Although this innovation is a sharp departure from tradition, virtually no research exists to explore its philosophical underpinnings, benefits, and challenges. This study addresses this gap. Study Questions: We used a qualitative descriptive approach to explore the experiences and perspectives of open shelter directors. Participants included 14 open shelter directors from 11 states. We conducted semistructured phone interviews with each participant, focusing on their shelter's (a) nature and history; (b) rationale; (c) policies and programs related to secrecy and openness; (d) benefits and challenges; (e) effects on specific survivor subgroups; and (f) practices used to build or strengthen survivors' relationships. Open shelters: (a) promote physical safety using a broad array of measures; (b) adopt a range of policies that promote varying degrees of location disclosure and visitor accessibility; (c) face challenges, such as the need to gain buy-in from multiple constituents; and (d) Improve survivor outcomes, including decreased shame; improved advocacy relationships; increased access to services and community involvement in shelter life; and deepened relationships with network members; in turn increasing prospects for physical and psychological well-being long after survivors' shelter stays are over. Findings suggest a new path for shelters interested in promoting survivor safety and healing in the context of a web of meaningful relationships.

Using the Behaviour Change Wheel to design an intervention for partner abusive men in drug and alcohol treatment

Background

We aimed to establish what core elements were required in a group therapy programme for men who disclose perpetrating intimate partner abuse in a substance use setting and develop, and test the feasibility of delivering an intervention in this setting.

Methods

We describe the theoretical development and feasibility testing of an integrated substance use and intimate partner abuse intervention (‘ADVANCE’) for delivery in substance use services. We employed a comprehensive eight-stage process to guide this development applying the ‘COM-B’ (‘capability’, ‘opportunity’, ‘motivation’ and ‘behaviour’) model for intervention design which specifies the following: (1) define the problem, (2) select the target behaviour, (3) specify the target behaviour, (4) identify what needs to change, (5) identify intervention functions, (6) identify policy categories, (7) select behaviour change techniques, and (8) design a mode of delivery. The development was informed by primary research conducted by the authors, consulting with organisation steering groups and by those with personal experiences. The identified targets for intervention and mode and method of delivery were then refined over 4 intervention development meetings, using the nominal group technique with the ADVANCE experts, then further refined following consultation with service user groups and wider expert groups via a learning alliance meetings.

Results

Our final intervention, the ADVANCE intervention consisted of a group intervention comprising of up to four pre-group individual interviews, followed by 12 × 2-h group sessions supported by integrated safety work for victim/survivors, and risk and safety support and integrity support for the professionals. The main targets for change were personal goal planning, self-regulation, and attitudes and beliefs supporting intimate partner abuse. The intervention was regarded as very acceptable to both staff and clients in substance use services, with group attendees reported positive behaviour changes and development of new skills.

Conclusion

We have demonstrated the ability to employ a structured eight-step process to develop an integrated intervention to address substance use-related intimate partner abuse that is acceptable to staff and clients in substance use services. This led to a feasibility study (ISRCTN 79435190) involving 104 men and 30 staff at three different locations across the UK was conducted to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and to refine the content and approach to delivery (BMC Public Health, 21: 980, 2021).