Findings From an Outcome Examination of Rhode Island's Specialized Domestic Violence Probation Supervision Program

Abstract

An examination of specialized domestic violence probation supervision compared to traditional mixed case supervision of domestic violence probationers finds significant differences in several areas, including victim satisfaction, probationer accountability, and reabuse and rearrest rates. Lower-risk abusers, constituting almost half of the probation abuser caseload supervised by the specialized unit, were significantly less likely to be rearrested for domestic violence and nondomestic violence crimes than were those supervised in the traditional mixed caseloads. Victims' satisfaction appeared to be higher, and abusers were held more accountable. Researchers suggest what may account for these different outcomes and the limits of the specialized supervision program in affecting the behavior of high-risk abusers.

One Size Does Not Fit All in Treatment of Intimate Partner Violence

“…There is substantial evidence that a significant percentage of male perpetrators of IPV have borderline personality tendencies with accompanying affect regulation difficulties as noted earlier on in this article. As a result, interventions such as dialectical behavior therapy, which have demonstrated effectiveness with people with borderline personality disorder (Kliem, Kröger, & Kosfelder, 2010), has been proposed as a treatment strategy for those male perpetrators of IPV with the aforementioned characteristics (Cavanaugh, Solomon, & Gelles, 2011;Fruzzetti & Levensky, 2000;Tollefson, Webb, Shumway, Block, & Nakamura, 2009). Cavanaugh et al (2011) presented the findings of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an experimental intervention (Dialectical Psychoeducational Workshop [DPEW]) and a control condition, an 8-week anger management program (AMW) providing preliminary support for the DPEW's effectiveness in lowering a participant's desire to express anger physically while decreasing the potential risk for physical violence.…”

Explaining the Prevalence, Context, and Consequences of Dual Arrest in Intimate Partner Cases

“…However, increasing public awareness and concern for domestic assault may result in increased reporting by neighbors or other bystanders (Cassidy, Nichol, Ross & Lonsway, 2004;Robinson & Chandek, 2000). For example, Klein (2006) reported that the vast majority of calls to the police for domestic assault in the State of Rhode Island did not come from the victim. The involvement of an external complainant may have increased officers' perceived need to "do something" to resolve the incident.…”

Lethality Assessments and the Law Enforcement Response to Domestic Violence

“…In other words, the study found that specialized supervision of abusers reduced reabuse as measured by rearrest for up to 1 year for lowerrisk probationers. Such lower-risk probationers consisted of about half of the domestic violence probation caseload across the state (Klein & Crowe, 2008).…”