Assessing the Efficacy of Batterer Intervention Programs in Context

This paper was prepared to facilitate an informed group discussion about the efficacy of batter intervention programs (BIPs).  BIPs should be viewed as part of a broader systemic response designed to curb and eliminate men’s use of violence against their female partners. Data was reviewed from studies on the effectiveness of court orders of protection for abuse victims, pro-arrest policies, “no-drop” prosecution policies, educational programs for men who batter, and coordinated community response initiatives. A systemic view on the effectiveness of interventions for men who batter is presented here as an antidote tomisguided proclivity by some IPV researchers to approach interventions with men who batter as discrete medical procedures rather than as social policies and practices intended to respond to individual, domestic, and social needs.

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