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Overview
One of the most burning debates in the domestic violence field is over the effectiveness of batterer programs and how to improve them. Batterer Intervention Systems responds to this debate with research from a multi-site evaluation of batterer programs—the most comprehensive and extensive evaluation to date. It critiques current experimental evaluations, exposes the complex issues of evaluation, and presents alternatives to assessing effectiveness. A four-year follow-up of program participants reveals a surprising de-escalation of abuse, a subgroup of unresponsive repeat reassaulters, and the difficulty in identifying the most dangerous men. Conventional batterer counseling appears to be appropriate for the vast majority of men. Most of all, the book shows that the "system" matters and can be improved through some straightforward adjustments.
Synopsis
Based this work on a seven-year study of batterer intervention programs in four cities, Gondolf (Indiana U. of Pennsylvania) focuses on the evaluation of such programs: how to determine whether they "work." The book charts a journey through the evaluation process and what Gondolf's group learned from it. Identifying batterer programs as part of a larger intervention system, it discusses the challenges and solutions in evaluating program outcomes and effectiveness. It includes facts and figures about batterer programs and makes recommendations for program structure and system development.
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Editorials
Jeffrey L. Edleson
"Batterer Intervention Systems is a very important book—probably the most important one on batter interventions and evaluations to date.... The writing style is very strong, conversational, and kept my interest. It presents complex information in a non-technical way. The book should be very accessible to a wide audience."JEFFREY L. EDLESON
"Batterer Intervention Systems is a very important book—probably the most important one on batter interventions and evaluations to date.... The writing style is very strong, conversational, and kept my interest. It presents complex information in a non-technical way. The book should be very accessible to a wide audience."