Changing Abusers’ Behavior: What Works What Doesn’t

By Barry Goldstein Introduction A few years ago I attended a national conference for and about batterer programs. One of my colleagues aptly referred to it as a marketing conference for the batterer program industry. I am sure there were many people at the conference that sincerely sought to reduce domestic violence and believed their […]

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Position paper on court mandated mental health treatment for men who batter

Many courts throughout the country are using mental health treatment as a penalty for men’s acts of assault against their partners. It is our strong professional determination, based on many decades of work in the field, that an order for mental health treatment as a sanction for an assault is not the appropriate response. Mental […]

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NOMAS Adopts the NOMAS Model for Domestic Violence Offender Programs (formerly the NY Model for Batterer Programs)

After years of exploring a wide range of batterer program models, the National Council of NOMAS has given its full support and adopted to NOMAS Model for DV Offender Accountability, formerly known as the New York Model for Batterer Programs. This model was determined to be most in keeping with NOMAS principles and beliefs about […]

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What Batterer Programs Can Do Demonstrably and Reliably with All Men Ordered by the Courts

By Phyllis B. Frank, , Director, VCS Domestic Violence Program for Men Batterer programs often confound even those who work closely with them.  Courts, probation, prosecution, parole, advocates, and the public understandably have unfulfilled hopes about what batterer programs can accomplish.  After thirty years of consistent trial, error and more trial, the NY Model for […]

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Batterer Programs may be more Harmful than Beneficial

Even Groups for Batterers run by private or social service agencies that are not mainly mental health staffed and oriented are unlikely to have any real effect on the abuse, and may in some ways make it worse for the abused woman. When an abusive man is required by a Judge to attend a weekly […]

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