N.Y. Pioneers Tougher Approach to Batterers (but they never change, regardless)

[Triana]

N.Y. Pioneers Tougher Approach to Batterers
Run Date: 04/08/08
By Francesca Levy
WeNews correspondent

U.S. courts have been sending batterers to rehabilitation programs for decades. As research finds the programs doing little to curb domestic violence, New York state has taken a tougher tack, aimed at enforcing sentences.

Phyllis B. Frank

NEW CITY, N.Y. (WOMENSENEWS)--Phyllis B. Frank founded a program in 1978 to counter domestic violence through workshops for men. It was the first batterer-intervention program in the state and among the first in the country.

Ten years later, the director of the VCS Community Change Project, located in New City, a suburb about 45 minutes north of New York, finishes off the opening paragraph of a grant application and spins in her chair to face a reporter's question about such programs.

"Batterer programs are a dumping ground," Frank says flatly. "We send men here, and we think we're doing something. I decided at one point the best possible thing I could do would be to close."

But Frank did not shut down the program.

Instead, during the 1990s she redefined its goals--aligning it more with sentencing and court-order enforcement than rehabilitation--and began to develop what would become known as the New York model.

MORE:

http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=3556

the studied outcome of any of these programs seems very disappointing - it seems batterers/abusers simply do not change - period - no matter what - they are pathologically abusive


EDIT: This goes hand-in-hand with this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=229x9767

As I said above, in italics, the programs don't seem to work regardless. Batterers are pathological - ie: unable to change - until/unless it hurts THEM to be violent - they won't change.

This means that hat has to change is that this issue must be seen as what it IS: a HUMAN RIGHTS issue - a chronic one, borne of a patriarchal, male-dominated society, with women still being seen largely as property to be owned and controlled, and to "serve" men and their whims. When ACCOUNTABILITY for their violent behavior causes that behavior to affect THEM (the batterers) negatively, and to hurt THEM in some way - THEN they will stop. And ONLY then - only when it hurts THEM to hurt others - will they ever stop.

I won't hold my breath for THAT evolution. Pfft!

[RaleighNCDUer]

1. They can change

but not with any 1 hour a week AA style program. Batterers are severely disturbed and can only change with literally years of intensive psychotherapy. They have very brittle personalities that are highly resistant to change or challenge, and other than short term regrets they have no consciousness that what they are doing is wrong.

The 'negative effect' programming of punishment is not a long-term solution - otherwise, they would not come out of jail after ten years and do the same thing all over. But realisticly, it is the only solution when you're talking about $100,000 of psychotherapy for each of 100,000 batterers.

[Triana]

2. True. They can change with *years* of intensive psychotherapy...

....but how many of them are willing to undergo and pay for that? Not many. Most won't even admit they're abusive, much less undergo psychotherapy for it for years. One of the best 'skills' of an abuser is blaming / making someone else responsible for their behavior.

Chances of real change are slim to none. But ok - not impossible. Just almost - and very rare.

It has to hurt them to hurt others (accountability/punishment and consistently and fairly severely so) - then they'll stop - not because their personalities have changed -- but rather because they know if they do it, they'd just be hurting themselves.