Reducing Domestic Violence and Other Criminal Recidivism: Effectiveness of a Multilevel Batterers Intervention Program

Abstract

This study evaluated whether the use of a multilevel system of intervention based on batterer assessment resulted in lowered risk of re-arrests for both domestic violence and other crimes. The study conducted analysis of data from 1995 to 2004, including initial arrest and program placement information and re-arrest rates for 17,999 individual batterers. The study found that recidivism rates were substantially lower for participants who completed the programs when compared to those who did not and that the re-arrest rates were substantially lower than are generally found in the literature on batterer recidivism. The study provides guidance to batterers intervention programs in approaches to designing countywide programs that are most effective in reducing recidivism in domestic violence batterers.