Treatment for Male Batterers - Standards For Batterer Intervention Programs

Most states have developed battering intervention programs to deal with violent batterers. But states differ over the type of batterers who must attend and the penalties they incur if they fail to attend. Critics contend that state-mandated standards for participation and program type produce inflexible programs that fail to take into account research demonstrating the need for different approaches to deal with different batterers.

Some critics charge that these standards were written by those who felt regulation was necessary to ensure that male batterers were held accountable. They believe such standards focus on domestic violence as a crime that requires criminal sanctions. Mental health professionals, however, view domestic abuse as a dysfunctional disorder that is best treated with mental health treatment and therapy. Other critics feel that the standards may result in a limited treatment approach, even though research has not yet determined the effectiveness of any one program in deterring future abuse.

In "Standards for Batterer Intervention Programs: In Whose Interest?" (Violence against Women, vol. 5, no. 1, 1999), Larry Bennett and Marianne Piet found that much of the conflict over program standards results from a misunderstanding about the purpose of these standards. They argued that rather than focus on program content and potentially prevent creation and implementation of innovative practices, standards should be designed to hold men accountable for their actions, hold providers accountable for their programs, and increase the safety of the victims of domestic violence.