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Spouse Abusers and Court Mandated Treatment

NCJ Number
125995
Journal
Journal of Crime and Justice Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Dated: (1988) Pages: 43-60
Author(s)
C Bersani; H Chen; R Denton
Date Published
1988
Length
18 pages
Annotation
Only recently have treatment staff directed their attention to spouse abusers. However, batterers undergoing treatment typically are volunteers. They are presumably the most amenable candidates for treatment.
Abstract
Therefore, data about batterers secured from such programs is not from the larger volume of batterers known to the criminal justice system. It is likely that those convicted in court represent the most serious and less easily resolvable cases. Unlike previous efforts, a body of research is initiated solely on court mandated treatment program participants. These findings are not in complete agreement with recent assumptions concerning characteristics of abusers. Among the significant findings in relation to program completion are the importance of prior criminal charges, type and number of previous charges. Treatment staff and court officials can better understand the abuser population with which our criminal justice system deals as this body of knowledge evolves. 40 references and 2 tables. (Author abstract)