Why shouldn’t domestic violence offenders just go to anger management?
Many people feel that all a domestic violence offender needs is anger management. Anger management may be appropriate for the person who gets into a bar fight or has road rage, but it is rarely appropriate for someone who commits violence against an intimate partner or family member.
"The issue regarding domestic violence is power and control. The offender is likely to beat or abuse the victim whether or not he or she is angry." (George Anderson, founder of Anderson and Anderson, the world’s largest provider of Anger Management counseling.)
Abusive men come from every socioeconomic class, personality type, arise from good childhoods and bad ones, are macho men or gentle. No psychological test can distinguish an abusive man from a respectful one. Abusiveness is not a product of a man’s emotional injuries or of deficits in his skills. In reality, abuse comes from a man’s early cultural training, his key male role models, and his peer influences.
Abuse is a problem of his core beliefs.
Core beliefs are challenged thru Family Violence Intervention Programs (FVIPs). The Georgia Commission on Family Violence (GCFV) and the Georgia Department Of Corrections (GDC) establish standards for Family Violence Intervention Programs. Certified Family Violence Intervention Programs are designed to rehabilitate family violence offenders and are charged with prioritizing victim safety and participate accountability.
Most research tells us that participants who complete Family Violence Intervention Programs are less likely to commit new acts of violence or to violate restraining orders. Several studies show that Family Violence Intervention Programs reduce recidivism by 36% - 85% (Dutton, 1986; Edleson & Grusznski, 1988; Tolman & Bennett, 1990; Gondolf, 1999).
Still, despite some promising signs, recidivism rates are high and Family Violence Intervention Programs cannot guarantee safety for victims but is one intervention to use with domestic violence offenders.
Larry Nichols
Family Violence Intervention Programs (South Georgia Judicial Circuit)
229-243-1069
